


Eruri Week 2015

by TheFullmidgetAlchemist



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Eruri Week, Eruri Week 2015, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-04-12 15:30:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4484695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFullmidgetAlchemist/pseuds/TheFullmidgetAlchemist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>August 1st: Family - Chapter 1[uploaded]<br/>August 2nd: Choices - Chapter 2 [uploaded]<br/>August 4th: Touch - Chapter 3 [uploaded]<br/>August 5th: Scars - Chapter 4 [uploaded]<br/>August 6th: Healing - Chapter 5 [uploaded]<br/>August 7th: Dreams - Chpater 6 [uploaded]<br/>August 8th: Trust (bonus) - Chapter7 [uploaded]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Family

“No, sir, we don’t serve tea here, this is specifically a coffee shop. You can head further down the street for our branch that specialises in tea.”

Levi has almost had enough of today. It hadn’t boded well since the moment he woke up and found his giant golden retriever sitting proudly on his chest, slobbering all over his pristine white bedsheets while severely constricting Levi’s ability to breathe. After almost falling down the stairs from stepping on one of Mopdog’s horrible toys, he found that the stupid dog had upended his water bowl. After berating the poor dog until his tail was stuck between his hind legs and he was giving Levi his very best literal puppy eyes, he gave him a single pat on his head, which was all the dog needed to start bouncing around in his usual fashion, and got off the floor, glancing at the kitchen clock and realising belatedly that he was very nearly almost late. 

He gulped down a cup of tea (he couldn’t stand coffee, ironic as that is) and set down a fresh bowl of food for Mop, who was already half way through by the time Levi slammed the door shut behind him. 

Of course, on the way to Rosa’s Coffee House, the clouds that had gathered ominously overhead started shedding rain all over everything beneath them, and Levi was caught in the crossfire without an umbrella. Of course, he was drenched by the time he unlocked the small coffee shop.

He was grateful that he was always the first one to arrive in the shop, especially when he caught sight of his hair in the mirror and found his hair sticking up in all directions. He locked himself in the staff bathroom and tried vainly to bring some order back into his hair, and managed slightly. Which was when the rest of his colleagues arrived, and the work day began.

And here he was, trying to argue sense into this hot-headed customer and barely resisting the urge to throw coffee beans over the red face.

“That’s stupid! You should at least serve one type of teas here!”

Levi closed his eyes, trying to summon up the last shreds of patience from deep within his soul. “We do not, sir. I excuse our inadequate service, but please do visit our branch that specialises in tea just five fucking minutes down the road,” he growled.

The customer’s eyes popped out at the swear word, and Levi instantly regretted it, because the customer suddenly bawled out, “ _INSOLENT MAN WHO DO YOU THINK_ \---”

“Is there a problem here?”

Levi’s boss, a very scary woman with straight black hair pulled up in a very neat ponytail, pink dip-dyed tips resting on her shoulders, and a passive face with eyes that were currently burning twin holes in the unfortunate customer’s face.

Cowed, the customer stepped back, releasing his arms from where they’d been gripping the collar of Levi’s neatly pressed uniform, leaving wrinkles. “Eh, nothings wrong, miss...Elizabeth?”

“That’s Mrs Anderson to you. If you’re only here to harass my employees, you can see yourself to the door and never show yourself here again.” 

“But ma’am, you don’t serve tea here.”

“Are you blind or something? It clearly says “Rosa’s _Coffee_ House” out there. We specialise in coffee. If you want tea, go to Mina’s _Tea_ House literally five minutes up the road, as I’m sure Levi here has already told you. Multiple times, by the look on his face.”

The customer’s gaze flitted from Lizzie to Levi, catching the twin glares and making up his mind faster than he’d ever done in his life. “I’ll see myself out, then. Good day.”

The pair watched him from behind the counter till the door closed shut behind him, and then they sighed. Levi turned to Lizzie and apologised. Lizzie stopped him mid-sentence and said, “Not your fault, not your fault. Good riddance, I say. We don’t need filth like him in our coffee shop.”

She left him to man the counter by himself, disappearing into the kitchen to terrorise her other employees. Levi sat down on the high swivel chair that left his short legs dangling way above the ground. The customer seated at the nearest table looked up from where he’d been hidden behind his newspaper, and Levi caught sight of the bluest eyes he’d ever seen in his life, without a trace of any colour that usually characterise blue eyes. “Lovely way to start a day,” he said, in a beautiful, deep voice. Levi’s bad mood lifted slightly, and he nodded, smiling ruefully at the countertop. He heard the rustle of a newspaper being put down, and he looked up again to see that the customer had risen from his seat and was moving towards the counter. For some weird reason, Levi started feeling horribly flustered. It wasn’t that he was shy or anything, but this man was causing his heart to race. He remained seated to try and give the illusion that he wasn’t as short as he really was, but even with this added height, he couldn’t quite match the stranger’s height. 

“I’d like to order a macchiato.”

Levi stood up, rapidly decreasing in height, and said, “Right away, sir.”

The stranger leaned against the counter, his blonde falling over his eyes, looking at Levi as he worked, and then broke the silence by saying, “My name’s Erwin.”

Levi’s hand jumped, almost shaking the cup of the coffee machine stand and pouring the coffee outside. He didn’t say anything, concentrating on finishing the drink without any further incident. He carefully brought it to the counter and set it on the counter, handing the receipt to Erwin. Erwin fished around his pockets for his wallet, while Levi turned around to clean the machine. When he turned around again, the money was laid out on the receipt. He went to take the money, leaving the receipt behind, but Erwin pushed it towards him, got up and left, stopping by the table to gather his briefcase and newspaper, not looking back once. Levi took the receipt, and out of curiosity, turned it around.

Sure enough, written against the blank white back, was a mobile number.

“You’re finally getting laid?” Lizzie said, spying over his shoulder. Levi jumped again, the receipt flying through the air. Lizzie plucked it neatly from the air, holding it above reach as she examined the handwriting. “He has such nice handwriting!”

“Give it back, Lizzie, stop poking your shitty nose in my business!”  
Lizzie grinned wickedly, spotting Levi’s flush and enjoying herself terribly as she dangled the paper just beyond his reach. Levi stepped on her foot, achieving no results, and tried to tickle her, again in vain. Lizzie’s grin widened. “Desperate?”

“No. I just want it back.”

“What’s the magic word?”

“Fuck off.”

“Levi.”

“Shithead.”

“Wrong agaiiiin.”

“Please.”

“Good boy.”

Levi snatched the piece of paper away and pocketed it in his pocket, glaring at Lizzie again as she pinched his cheek and slid around the counter to go take an order from a new customer. He allowed himself to breathe, trying to get his blood to flow out of the concentrated patches it had gathered in at his cheeks. Had he somehow given himself away to this man - Erwin - to get him to offer his number in such a cheesy way?

The incident was almost forgotten by the end of the day, worn away by the mind-numbingly boring routine. It was when he was rooting in his pocket for his mobile and headphones that he heard the faint rustle of the paper and remembered the events of the morning in a rush. He carefully manoeuvred his hand out of his pocket, mindful not to drop the paper by accident, and plugged his headphones in, bidding goodbye to his colleagues and sending a discreet middle finger in Lizzie’s direction, who in turn smiled and waggled his fingers at him. 

He allowed the music to wash over him, letting his legs move on autopilot as he mulled things over. Of course he thought the man was hot. He wasn’t blind. But he didn’t think that he’d attract the attention of such a man. He began to worry that this was a scam, and almost threw the paper away, but then thought better of it. He almost didn’t realise that he’d arrived home, lost as he was in thought. He unlocked the door and was immediately greeting by wild yapping and the click of claws frantically slipping over the wooden floorboards. He closed the door behind him, bracing himself for the onslaught of fur and slobber as Mopdog raced into view. He caught the dog, bending his head as far back as he could to try and avoid his nose being licked right off it, and walked towards the kitchen, setting the dog down and opening the fridge to see what he could scrape together for dinner. 

As he was eating, he kept glancing at the number written on the receipt, now neatly folded and pinned to the noticeboard he kept in the kitchen, which usually held grocery lists and to do lists and now held the potential end of his single life. His curiosity was drowning reason, and when he was washing the dishes, a few minutes after, he decided to give it a try. After all, the worst he could expect was crushing disappointment, and that was quite normal in his life. 

He made sure that Mop’s bowls were full and headed to his bedroom, the dog trailing behind him. He fell back on the bed, the dog immediately pouncing on him and pushing out all the air in his lungs. He patted the dog in place and tried not to wince as he saw the fur collected at the feet of his bed. He reached towards his desk, almost falling head-first on the floor but managing to save himself in the nick of time. He grabbed his laptop and pulled it towards him, switching it on and logging himself into it, so set on his task that he didn’t feel Mop’s tongue continually licking the little strip of leg that peeked out from beneath his trousers. He went to his coffee shops website, which was connected to a major social networking site, and worked his way through all the people that had visited or liked it, until he struck gold.

The profile picture hardly did the man justice, but then, neither did his. He clicked on it, trying not to consider his action as ‘stalking’ and more as ‘gathering suitable information for potential love interest’, which didn’t sound any less stalkerish. He found out that his surname was Smith, and was filled with a sudden longing for a surname. He’d never kept a surname for very long. Having been orphaned at birth and accepted in an orphanage with literally just the skin on his bones, he’d been christened Levi after some Biblical protagonist. The multiple foster families he’d been routed to had all tried to make him feel part of their family, but he wasn’t very good at relationships, and didn’t really consider any family as his real one. _It must be nice_ , he thought, _having a surname and taking it for granted as something everyone else has_. 

Erwin didn’t seem to be dangerous - literally all his posts were animal pictures and inspirational quotes, like your average mother would post on her wall. According to his profile, he worked as a manager in a nearby business, which explained why he would frequent their humble little coffee shop. He was apparently quite important, as the pictures indicated. Levi tried not to gawk too hard at how the suits he wore fitted him perfectly, and tried really hard not to imagine taking it off. He tried. He really did.

Finally, when he’d seen enough and worked up the courage, he sent him a text message, not placing too much hope on it and hoping he’d already forgotten the little episode.

**Levi: [20:39]**  
_Hey. Um, I’m that short coffee shop barista. Not sure if the number you so cleverly hid in plain sight was meant for me or for my boss so just asking_

He thought he’d best play it safe, and pretend to be oblivious as a stone wall, but he couldn’t help but feel jittery when his phone beeped. He tried not to show his obvious eagerness by not seeing the message immediately, counting up to twenty until he lunged at the phone.

With shaking fingers, Levi unlocked his phone, and phone the text message.

 

**Unknown Number: [20:40]**  
_oh hi! I'd almost given up hope that you'd send. Would have been a pity, because id really love to get to know you._

Levi was not shaking. Levi was not grinning idiotically at the screen of his mobile. Levi was definitely not feeling light-headed.

He sent back, adding the number in his contact list while waiting for the reply. It was another fast reply, and soon, Levi was absorbed in the conversation, which then moved online, not even realising that time had flown by, only noticing when his eyelids started to droop. His messages were becoming sloppier and harder to understand, and they'd long since fallen from serious questions to vaguely flirtatious ones. Finally, at around one in the morning, he bade Erwin farewell. Closing the laptop lid, he breathed out slowly, not quite sure what had been initiated in this conversation but curious to see where this would lead. 

He placed the laptop on the desk and turned off the lights, careful not to lie down on the dog as he returned to bed, and twisted around until he found a good position. In the few moments of consciousness before sleep took him, he thought that maybe Erwin Smith wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

From that day on, Erwin would pop in at the café every day. The first time it happened after their online conversation, Levi found himself unable to speak round his flaming face, which he tried to hide in vain as Erwin sniggered behind his hand. It got better from there, and as he got to know Erwin better, he allowed himself to relax his stance, and the sarcasm he’d been holding back started seeping slowly into their conversations, until he’d fully reverted to his natural state of constant sarcasm, a thing so gradual that Erwin hardly noticed until it was strikingly obvious. Rather than being put off, as Levi had secretly feared slightly, it seemed to add to the charm, especially when Erwin managed to say something that threw Levi completely out of balance, rendering him speechless and unable to think of a witty sarcastic comeback. These moments were few, and it usually involved Erwin’s ability of spouting the sweetest line he could think of, a thing that Levi still wasn’t used to. 

Their first date was three months after the receipt incident.

It happened very suddenly, and Levi was caught in one of those moments were his wit left him and he was struck dumb. He’d been arguing to Erwin about Lizzie, whom he’d called ‘slave driver’, shouting the nickname so that he made sure Lizzie would hear him. He’d turned around to smile sweetly at her as she glared at him from the kitchen. and when he turned round again, Erwin wasn’t there.

Levi huffed, annoyed. Erwin had a nasty habit of disappearing suddenly, mostly because his job was super important and sometimes he’d have to dash off to do God knows what. His eyes fell on the receipt that Erwin had left behind, and frowned suspiciously. Erwin didn’t usually leave his receipt behind. He could only remember one such occasion. His frown deepened. He felt Lizzie creep up on him and his hand automatically slammed on the countertop, covering the receipt.

“Where has loverboy run off to?”

Levi slid his hand off the counter, curling his fingers round the receipt and casually sticking it in his trouser pocket. “Probably to work. He’s busy, you know. Not like you, always skulking around, not doing anything.”

Lizzie’s eyebrows twitched, and she leaned dangerously close to Levi’s face. “I have the power to fire you, little man.”

Levi stuck his face closer to Lizzie, his own eyebrows twitching, and growled, “What have I told you about that surname, you little---”

“Ladies, ladies, let’s not fight.” Simon, one of his colleagues, came out of the kitchen, carrying a fresh tray of croissants, a smudge of flour on his nose strikingly visible against his dark skin. 

Lizzie and Levi turned on him and in unison hissed, “Who are you calling a lady?”

Levi narrowed his eyes in confusion. “But, you are a lady.”

Lizzie looked confused. “Oh yeah, that’s right.” 

Simon pushed his glasses back, and left without a word, apparently having given up on life in general.

When Lizzie had disappeared in the kitchen, still looking mildly confused, Levi took the receipt out of his pocket and turned it round, almost expecting it to be empty and waiting for the crushing disappointment that was sure to follow.

So when he saw the neat handwriting scrawled across its back, he was almost surprised. He had to sit down and perform breathing exercises when he read the carefully written words, because off all the stupid romantic shit Erwin spouted daily, he had not expected this. 

_Would you like to try to go out sometime? Like, on a date._  
Erwin

Levi reread the wretched line of words over and over again, barely registering the words. _Date. Date. Date._ It wasn’t as if he’d proposed or anything, but for Levi, a date was almost a scary prospect. It was one of the myths in his life, something that he’d known existed but hardly ever considered it a probable event in his life. His breathing hitched.

He felt a puff of air at his neck and fell off the swivel chair in fright. He glared up at Lizzie, who’s eyes were sparkling with glee. “Ooooooooh, a _date_!”

Levi sighed, bumping his head against the floor repeatedly. He stretched a hand upwards, and Lizzie caught it and hauled him up, his face slamming in her breasts. He stepped back, flushed, and said, “You did that on purpose, you shitty ass.”

Lizzie grinned wider. “I love seeing you go all red.”

Levi huffed in exasperation, and then he asked the thing he’d been trying to prevent himself from asking, “What do you do on a date?”

Lizzie blinked. “What do you mean?”

Levi avoided her gaze, and muttered something inscrutable.

“What?”

Levi said, louder, “I’ve never been asked out before.” He waited for the cackling to begin, but it never arrived.

He snuck a glance at her, and found her staring at him. “What?” he mumbled self-consciously.

“It’s just, you’re very cute. If you weren’t gay and I wasn’t into girls, I think I’d have totally had a crush on you.”

“Em, thanks?”

“Don’t worry about it. Just go with it, and act normal.”

Levi nodded. “Okay.”

Lizzie suddenly whipped her hand out and grabbed his hair. “Now get back to work, midget.”

That evening, when he was safely home, curled up against his dog, he reread the note again, and then folded it and put it in his bedside drawer next to his bed, with the other receipt that he’d kept, and then reached for his phone.

**Levi: [20:59]**  
_You really have something for receipts eh_

**Giant Coward: [21:02]**  
_Indeed_

**Levi: [21:02]**  
_Answering your question, we could always try. first time for everything really_

**Giant Coward: [21:03]**  
_First time? What, no has ever fallen for your charms?_

**Levi: [21:03]**  
_My only charm is my sarcasm_

**Giant Coward: [21:04]**  
_Very addictive charm. Also, would next Saturday be good for you?_

**Levi: [21:04]**  
_Sat would be excellent. I finish early from work that day so it’s all fine_

**Giant Coward: [21:05]**  
_great. tell me where you live next time, so i’ll pick you up from there :)_

**Levi: [21:05]**  
_i’m guessing you’re not gonna tell me anything then_

**Giant Coward: [21:05]**  
_nope :)_

**Giant Coward: [21:05]**  
_oh and don’t come too neatly dressed_

**Levi: [21:06]**  
_i hate you xxx_

**Giant Coward: [21:06]**  
_Nah, you don’t_

The conversation continued for a while, till Levi, exhausted by the day and the emotional input, put an end to it gently, and fell asleep soon after.

Saturday dawned beautifully, and Levi would have been lying to say that he wasn’t excited. He could barely eat his breakfast and almost forgot to feed Mop in his rush. He was almost late for work, which was a new thing, something Lizzie didn’t fail to point out as soon as he set foot in the shop. His work didn’t suffer that much, but his socialisation skills, which were already awry, disappeared altogether. When Erwin appeared at the door, he almost dropped the coffee that he was currently serving, and earned a glare from the customer that was being served.

Erwin sat on one of the raised stools at the counter, leaning over it in a way he knew flustered Levi, which of course, was the reason why he’d taken it a habit to do just that. Levi served him his coffee, concentrating on keeping the shake out of his hands. He placed it in front of Erwin, reaching out and rearranging Erwin’s carefully styled hair by ruffling it with his hand. Erwin didn’t even bother rearranging it, and smiled over the rim of the cup in a way that was probably illegal for how it made Levi’s heart instantly pick up in pace. He didn’t even know how such a human being could ever feel the urge to smile at him like that, but it was happening, and God was he enjoying the moment.

The day ended soon after that, and Erwin, who’s left a few minutes before closing time, texted him the time when he’d pick him up. Levi swallowed his nervousness and walked slowly home, allowing the steady rhythmic pumping of his feet to soothe his heart’s frantic beating. When he arrived home, he took a quick shower and spent a good half hour staring blankly at his wardrobe. Finally, he decided on wearing a short-sleeved cream shirt that clung to his frame like a second skin. He pulled consciously at the single black breast pocket as he observed himself in the mirror, and shrugged. This was casual enough. He pulled on a pair of black jeans and stuck his shoes in his favourite pair of maroon high tops, and ruffled his hair, allowing it to fall naturally and leaving it like that.

He went to his window and opened it wide, climbing carefully on the sill and sitting with his back to the wall, looking out as he tapped his fingers on his phone, checking the time every three minutes. Finally, a car pulled over. It wasn’t a fancy car, like Levi had feared. It was quite a regular car, impeccably clean and shining in the late afternoon sun. The driver’s door opened, and Levi almost fell off the windowsill. 

Erwin was wearing a wine red shirt with sleeves that were rolled back at the elbow, and normal jeans on the skinny side, the edges tucked into brown ankle boots. His face lifted up, eyes squinting against the brightness of the sun, and he spotted Levi. He grinned and waved, and Levi waggled his fingers back, disappearing from view as he got off the sill. The dog was sad to see him leave, made apparent by the mournful howls he was emitting. He followed Levi to door, peeking out when this was opened. Erwin immediately crouched down, saying, “I didn’t know you had a dog! That’s so cute!” 

Levi leaned against the doorframe, his jeans slipping lower on his hips and grinning when he saw the obvious effect this had on Erwin, who straightened up as if he’d been shot. He closed the door behind him, promising to Mop that he’ll be back soon. He followed Erwin to the car and got in the passenger seat, taking note of how Erwin’s hand were white-knuckled on his steering wheel.

When they arrived, it had already gotten darker, but the sun was still reaching out, its rays desperately spread out across the sky. Erwin got out and opened Levi’s door, something Levi hardly registered, his eyes taken by the beautiful scenery that surrounded them. 

Erwin had parked by the side of a cliff overlooking the churning sea, and the sun was just setting, painting the sky with a breathtaking myriad of colours. Levi sat down at the edge, hearing Erwin come up from behind him and sitting next to him. Their hands brushed, and Levi obeyed the sudden urge and linked their fingers together, surprised when Erwin let him do it. They remained in comfortable silence, just looking at the sea and letting the sea breeze ruffle their hair, until the sun dipped below the sea and went out, and the stars popped out. Erwin shifted next to Levi, unlinking their hands and standing up. Levi shuffled backwards, away from the edge, and tried to spot what Erwin was doing. A sudden flare of light lit his face as he struck a match against the matchbox, and the tiny flame illuminated a couple of candles, which Erwin lit up and brought carefully to Levi. Levi glanced suspiciously at Erwin, and said, “Is this what I think it’s going to be?”

“No, I’m not going to set your body on fire and chant witchy spells and throw your remains over the cliff.”

“Man, that’s precisely what I’d been thinking.”

“I know you so well.”

Erwin went back to the car and opened the booth, from where he took out a wicker basket. Carefully closing it again, he made his way to Levi and sat down.

“A picnic at night? That’s original.”

Erwin’s smile was illuminated by the candles’ flickering lights as he said, “I’m never sure whether you’re being sarcastic or genuine.”

Levi laughed. “I was being genuine. From what I know, it’s usually dinner at a restaurant or movie or something. Should have expected something that involves candles.”

Erwin looked pleasantly surprised. “Well, thanks. I did think a lot about this.”

The night passed by smoothly, with Levi slightly bowled over by the cooking (he’d marry this man just for his cooking) (not that he was thinking of _marriage_ just yet, of course) and Erwin laughing loudly at some joke Levi had said in his best deadpan voice. Levi found himself grinning, and realised that he was happy. Truly happy. 

When they’d finished eating, the wicker basket was moved to the side, and the talk fell back to their personal lives. Levi found himself talking about his time at the orphanage, feeling Erwin’s hand creeping in his and holding it tightly, squeezing it gently as he continued. Erwin, in turn, spoke about his own childhood. His dad had died when he was quite young, and his mother had led a very busy life, but always pushed Erwin to be the very best. It was by her support that he was where he was now, he’d finished with a fond smile. Levi shuffled closer to him, shivering slightly in the breeze which had become cooler when the sun had set. Erwin let go of his hand and wrapped an arm cautiously around Levi’s waist, Levi resting his head on Erwin’s shoulder.

Erwin pointed out the stars, and Levi rattled off some of the constellations and stars that he could see, explaining to a dumbfounded Erwin that he’d taught them to himself when he was feeling lonely in one of the homes he’d been in. 

As silence fell again, Levi asked the question he’d been itching to ask from that fated day when e’d given him his number. “Say, Erwin, what made you give me your number?”

Erwin chuckled, a motion that Levi could feel reverberating through him from where their bodies touched. “You don’t seem to notice you’re beautiful, right?”

Levi lifted his head from where it was resting and looked incredulously at Erwin, searching for traces of the lie that Erwin had surely just said - and was met by a pair of clear blue eyes, the truth written clearly in them in the way they looked at Levi as if he was the best thing they’d ever observed.

“Have I ever said that you’re cheesier than one of those old romance movies?”

“It is my aim to morph into one of those movies in the near future.”

“It’s working.”

“Thanks.”

Levi lifted one hand and stroked Erwin’s cheek, once, and smiled. “Thanks for today.”

Erwin grinned, leaning fractionally closer to Levi. “It was nothing.”

“Do we kiss now or what?”

Erwin didn’t bother to give him an answer as he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against Levi’s, Levi settling himself so that he was sitting on Erwin’s outstretched legs, not caring that the candles were being blown out, focussing only on running his hands over all the places he could reach, feeling Erwin’s lips moving against his and relishing the small sounds that escaped into the silence of the night, the small gasps that Erwin emitted when Levi’s hands strayed over his body, the feeling of Erwin’s body moving against him. Levi pushed him back, and Erwin fell back, Levi going with him, and finally they broke off, the sound sending a shiver down Levi’s back. Erwin’s lips glistened slightly in the light the stars shed, and Levi was almost certain that this sight was the closest thing to perfection he’d ever seen. He rolled off Erwin, connecting their hands as they lay side by side, staring up at the moon as their chests heaved.  
“That was nice.”

Erwin glanced at him. “Nice.”

Levi grinned at the sky. “‘Nice’ is the only word my brain can come up with at this moment.”

Erwin matched his grin. “Then, in that case, it was very nice.”

They left the stars alone a while after that, and when Erwin pulled up at Levi’s apartment, he got out, leaning against the car as he watched Levi open the door. Levi turned round, his hand still on the door, and ran back to Erin, throwing his hands round his neck, feeling Erwin’s hands go round him with such force they lifted him from the ground for a few terrifying moments. 

“That was the best thing anyone has ever done to me. Thank you.”

“Couldn’t think of spending it with anyone but you.”

“Shut up, you’re gonna make me cry, and I never cry.”

Erwin laughed, placing two fingers below Levi’s chin and lifting it up, leaving a kiss on Levi’s lips. “Good night, Levi. Let’s do this again.”

“Night, Er. Definitely.”

They parted ways, and Levi found out that he couldn’t stop the stupid little grin from appearing every time he remembered the events of the night.

When he found another receipt on the counter and the notorious absence of Erwin from the counter some four months later, Levi didn’t even think twice before he flipped the receipt over. 

_I love you_

He choked on the sip of water he’d just taken, staring at the paper till the words seemed to be branded in his minds.

He couldn’t concentrate after that, and as soon as his shift ended, he shot off in the direction of Erwin’s workplace, finding the now familiar car and leaning against it, casual pose betraying his unsteady breath. Erwin surprised him by coming up from behind him, smiling at him in such a hopeful way that it made Levi’s heart ache. He found his voice, and said, “Say it.”

Erwin stepped closer to him, his face turning serious, his eyes locking with Levi’s as he said, “I...think you have a really nice ass.”

Levi tried not to laugh. He really did. 

After wiping his eyes and dropping the smile, he looked into Erwin’s smug face, and said, “Erwin. Please.”

Erwin’s smile turned gentle, and, placing both hands on Levi’s cheeks, he finally said, “I love you.”

Levi closed his eyes, allowing the words to wash over him, feeling the warmth in his heart spread to give life to the rest of his body as he whispered, “Finally.” Then he added, after a heartbeat, “I love you too, idiot.”

That night, at Erwin’s place, they rediscovered what it really meant to fall in love, and confirmed once and for all that they were, in fact, very much in love.

_Five years later_

Levi spotted the receipt on the table (and Erwin’s empty seat) and his heart lurched. He couldn’t think of what Erwin might have said in this one, except perhaps something that had to do with a breakup. He considered telling Lizzie to read it before him, but decided against it almost immediately. He’d have to face this on his own. He flipped it round, reading it in a rush and finding out that it was not what he’d expected. In fact, he had to read it again, slower, and when he reached the question mark at the end his eyes were so wide he feared they might pop out.

He dropped the receipt from hands that had started shaking badly, the words visible for anyone who’d be interested to read them [read: Lizzie]:

 _You’ve always been haunted by the fact that you have no surname._  
_So,_  
_why don’t you have mine?_

_Love, Erwin_

He dashed out from behind the counter and ran out of the shop, spotting the mass of blonde hair at the far end of the road and running towards it with all his might, not caring that his feet almost gave way three times and he must have looked really odd when he almost dived face-first on the pavement when he stubbed his toe against a brick that was placed slightly higher than the rest. He was a few seconds away from Erwin when he dared shout his name.

Erwin turned round, immediately reddening when his eyes fell on Levi. Levi tried to keep his face passive, and said, round his poorly concealed gasps, “Is that really the best you could come up with?”

Erwin blinked, and Levi swallowed down another gasp, not breaking eye-contact with Erwin, noticing delightfully that his flush was spreading to his ears and seeping down his neck.

“Yes…?”

“Was that your shitty attempt at proposing?”

Erwin blinked rapidly, shoving his hands deep in his pocket. “Yes…?”

Levi was enjoying his discomfort a lot, but the happiness coursing through him prevented him from torturing him further. Erwin’s gaze had darted to the floor, so he didn’t spot Levi’s grin as he tried to keep the tears in his eyes.

“I think Levi Smith fits pretty well.”

Erwin looked up in a flash. “Y-you--”

“Yes, Erwin, I want to marry you.”

His breath was pushed out of him as Erwin swept him up into a hug, hearing his whispered “Thank God”s and feeling the tears slowly slide down his cheeks as he laughed, not minding the stares they were attracting, caught up in a happy bubble of love. Levi felt his legs touch ground again, his hand still in Erwin’s, feeling his other hand slide something on one of his fingers, snatching it away to see the ring, and almost crying again, reaching up on his tiptoes to kiss Erwin. When they pulled apart, Erwin said, breathlessly, “See? I managed to make you cry.”

Levi laughed, wiping the remaining tears away, mind spinning, not caring that Lizzie was probably going to kill him when he came back. “I love you, you giant asshole.”

“Love you too, tiny midget.”

The next year was a bit of a rush. Choosing the wedding bands prove to be a challenge, but they finally settled on a pair. The wedding date loomed up, and soon faded into the past as they settled into their married, domestic lives, arguing over whose turn it was to walk the dog first thing in the morning, throwing flour at each other while making dinner (which usually ended with Erwin washing the entire kitchen while Levi bemoaned his fate), making love to each other late at night. They were a family, a loving, blissfully happy family.

Until it was time to make a very important choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this prompt continues with Choices prompt c: fashionably late as always, but at least I tried  
> hope you enjoy them! 
> 
> comments are always appreciated c: (pls i bEG YOU)  
> Claire xxxxx


	2. Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of a short epilogue to the Family Prompt (also because I had literally no time to write a fully-fledged ficlet coz I'm working ahaha c':

“Hey Erwin.”

Erwin looked up from his morning newspaper, looking at his husband’s back as he looked out of the window. “Hmm?”

“Sometimes, I think the house is very...quiet.”

Erwin sat down his cup carefully on the table, standing up and coming up behind Erwin, sliding his hands round his waist from behind him and resting his head on Levi’s head. Levi leaned back in, holding on to Erwin’s hands, and voiced the opinion that he’d been mulling over for the past few weeks.

“What if we tried for adoption?”

He felt Erwin’s hands tighten against him, and he stopped, hoping that he hadn’t gone a step too far, and trying to find the words to back off, until he was cut off by Erwin.

“Levi.” 

That one word held a vast sea of emotions that Levi could feel through the contact between, and in just that one word, Erwin’s intentions were made clear. Levi twisted round in his arms, looking up at his husband’s face in disbelief and delight.

Erwin was grinning down at him, his eyes shining with emotion, opened his mouth, and finished his sentence. “That’s exactly what I’d been thinking about.”

Levi rose upwards on his toes, Erwin meeting him halfway, their laughter mingling together with the sound of Mopdog chasing after some fly downstairs, the small, domestic little things that meant so much to both of them.

The next couple of weeks were spent visiting adoption shelters, attracting a few glances, but mostly being welcomed with warmth. It was around the third shelter that they fell in love at first sight.

They stood outside the door, steadying their breaths, hand-in-hand, unknowingly a few metres away from the most important person in their lives. 

“You ready?”

Levi nodded. “Yes.”

And so their next big adventure began.

As they were greeted by the shelter director, a charming little lady whose smile seemed to brighten the dreary, little place. “Come inside, come inside, don’t be shy now.”

Levi followed Erwin into the home, which turned out to be much more brightly illuminated than the entry hall seemed to indicate. The floor was covered by a thick red woollen carpet, and the walls were literally covered with picture frames. The wallpaper beneath was barely visible beneath the throng of framed photos, and as the two looked closer, they realised that they were all photos of individual children, some of the photos old and faded, some of them newer ones. Levi asked, astounded, “Are these all the kids you’ve kept in this house?”

The old lady moved up behind them, looking at the photos with eyes that had filled with tears. “Yes, all of them. They were all like children to me. The older ones, the ones in the black-and-white photos, were more like my siblings. My mother started this shelter, many years ago, and when I die, my daughter will take over. We are their only family, and we learn how to be kind to them by spending our lives growing up with them.” She took out a giant, spotless white hanky and wiped her eyes, and then bustled off, waving her arm in the couple’s direction. “I have just the right child for you.”

They followed her down the meandering corridors, stealing glances at each other, noticing the hope in each other’s eyes and feeling the excitement mount. Levi, for one, could hardly breathe. Who would have thought that that wretchedly loud, obstinate customer, so many years back, could have sparked off a conversation between him and the man who was going to lead him through the most unbelievably amazing journey of his life? He smiled at the memory, the smile not going unnoticed by Erwin, who felt a small flutter in his heart as he remembered the exact same memory and thanked every god he’d prayed to for giving him the courage to make the first move in the chess game that led his heart to be completely checkmated by the smallest, rudest, most loving pawn.

Lost in thoughts, they hardly noticed that the noise was slowly increasing, until they were completely surrounded by it.

It was a nursery.

Levi walked in first, his eyes already fixed on the cot that the director had stopped in front. Erwin seemed not to have realise, still looking around him in wonder, but Levi caught the tiniest glance of yellow hair, and his heartbeat sped up immediately. He moved towards the cot, legs moving slowly, painfully so, his eyes wide as saucers as they took in the tiny human being.

“I called him Armin, because he looked like a little guardian angel.”

Levi looked down at Armin, and felt something click inside him, like a small jigsaw puzzle that had been missing. “Can I…”

“Oh yes, dear. Here, let me help.”

She grabbed the little bundle gently, lifting him up and placing him in Levi’s arms, and Levi was transfixed. The huge round eyes stared up at him, as blue and as inquisitive as Erwin’s, with hair that looked like spun gold, but with a delicate frame that resembled his own. “Armin.” He whispered the name like it was a spell, a beautiful spell that had completely enraptured him. Erwin came up behind them, inhaling a deep breath at the sight of the child, at Levi’s expression as he took the baby in, smiling delightedly when a tiny chubby hand closed over one of his fingers. The director clasped her hands in each other, and exclaimed, “He looks like your child already!”

And those were perhaps the words that completely sealed the deal. 

Around two years later, when all the pre-adoption stages were cleared, they finally managed to get the all-clear, and Armin moved in with them. He was three at that time, and he filled up their lives more than they’d ever dreamed was possible. He softened most of Levi’s past angers, somehow managing to make Erwin fall even more in love with him (because apparently such a thing could happen), and the only condition Levi imposed on Erwin was to give him a better life than he’d ever had known before he’d met Erwin, which had made Erwin turn into an emotional mess.

And so the child grew and basked in the love of his parents. And Levi, lying down on his bed, with Erwin snoring next to him, Armin sprawled on his chest, also sleeping, and Mopdog, a very old but very happy dog, stretched out at their feet, couldn’t help but thank God for all the right choices he’d made to reach this point of utmost happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short, and I might expand on it eventually C:  
> Hope u enjoyed this too
> 
> thanks to OverMyFreckledBody, who always beta's and provides fangirl screeches and implies that i'm evil or smth
> 
> im going to sleep now  
> u cld always comment if u feel like, and thanks for those who already did <3
> 
> adios
> 
> Claire xxxxxxxxxxxx


	3. Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when Erwin is called to join the army, but returns only a few months later, minus his sight?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aright, so I'm gonna add some notes here: this has some vaguely graphic war imagery and vague smut? like very vague. U know me

Erwin can’t remember what colour looks like.  The only colour in existence for him now was black, the ever present blanket that separated him from the brightness of the outside world.  Perhaps the worst part of his current situation was that he hadn’t been born blind – rather, he’d been blinded.  Knowing that there is a world full of colour and brightness and warmth surrounding him at every moment, and having once experienced it and taken it utterly for-granted, made his frustration and despair even greater.

He could hardly remember Levi’s face.

He could remember certain features, like the way his hair used to fall in his eyes, the rare smile that out-shined the sun, the delicate tracery of veins beneath the pale skin.  But even those images were fading, their colour slowly seeping out like an old faded painting..

But as he lay there, being taken home from hospital in the back of a cart, his injuries too immobilising for him to remain in the war-zone, not to mention his mental instability from the terrifying imagery and sounds of war, he remembered something else, something that the goddamned war had not taken from him.

Touch.  The sense of touch seemed to have heightened in the absence of sight, and thinking back on the day that he left his small village, he could retell the entire memory through what he remembered from sensory input.  He could describe how the warmth of the tears sliding down his cheeks felt alien to his skin, which had gone numb from knowing that this could be the last time seeing the town while he was alive.  He could recall the feeling of the knotted wooden tree trunks as he ran his hand over them, and how the cool blades of grass had tangled up beneath his bare feet as he ran through his father’s fields one last time.

But mostly, he remembered running his hands over Levi’s face, feeling the smoothness of the skin, broken by the slightly chapped lips, remembered running his thumb over them, then covering them with his own lips, remembered feeling the coolness of their tears against the heat of their breaths, remembered touching his forehead to Levi’s and feeling the small strands of hair tickle his nose. Most of all, he remembered running his fingers through Levi’s hair, feeling it part effortlessly and slide sleekly between his fingers, like finely woven silk, and the feeling of Levi’s small hand clutched tightly in his, fingers interwoven, the warmth and texture of skin still clear in Erwin’s memory.  He smiled in the darkness, and brushed away the persistent tears that would not stop running down his cheeks.

His memory fast-forwarded through the bitter months he spent in the war, a blur of pain and fear and all-consuming terror, bone-deep fatigue and an ever-rising paranoia, and the only colour that Erwin could remember with vivid clarity – red.  Red was everywhere, painting the ground they trod, splashed on their clothes, reflected in their eyes, coating their dreams and waking nightmares.  And then, one day, that too disappeared, to be consumed by black, a black so deep that it didn’t allow one speck of light to pierce through its viscosity.

It was his fault, probably.  He’d been rushing, hearing the blasts in the air getting closer.  He’d needed to shine the patch of land from whence the gunshots were coming from, to give his comrades a clear view of the advancing enemy.  He sent up the flare, a Star Shell, but even before it left his hand, he knew he’d made a mistake.  He’d forgotten, in his haste, to light it from a safer distance.  His eyes barely had time to react before they were assaulted by the dazzling white flame, and that was the last thing Erwin remembered seeing.  The sharp contrast between the pureness of the white flame that had sent him into his dark hell made his situation all the more ironic.  He twisted round on the moving bottom of the cart, restless and agitated.  He wasn’t happy to be going home.  Everyone would treat him with pity, or with scorn, thinking that he might be faking his injuries to escape the war, thinking that he was a weakling and a coward.

But then he’d remember Levi.  Getting to rediscover Levi through touch and not sight would be a brand new experience, almost like seeing him again, meeting him for the first time.  He wondered whether Levi knew that he had been injured, and panicked slightly at the thought of having to break it to him himself.  He chuckled in the silence as he realised what he was worrying about.  He'd faced death and flying bullets and freezing cold, and he was worrying about this.  Somehow, thinking about Levi and the slow rolling of the floor of the cart eventually lulled him to sleep.

He was awoken harshly by a hand gripping his arm.  He opened his eyes automatically, feeling the panic rising when he was met by a wall of black, only to remember bitterly that this was his only companion for as far as he could see.  The hand was accompanied by a rough voice, urging him to sit up.  Erwin did as he was told, wincing as his stiff back tried to regain feeling.  The pressure on his arm left suddenly, and in its place, he felt two gentler hands, and a voice that he'd almost forgotten spoke to him. 

“Erwin.”

Erwin pushed himself forward slightly, dangling his legs out of the cart.  He heard a pair of feet moving away, probably the cart driver giving Erwin and the presumably close relative their space.  A small, slim body fit between his legs, and the hands on his arm trailed a path over his shoulder, travelling up his neck and resting at Erwin's jaw bone.  Erwin's skin felt as if it was on fire, the places where the hands had passed over yearning for more.  Erwin's hands came up round the smaller body, feeling the familiar curves, feeling warm breath hit his face.  Erwin's own breathing became irregular, the sudden onslaught of physical and emotional contact with this person whom he had yearned to see for so long leaving him weak.  He finally answered, his own voice sounding alien and unfamiliar to his ears, “Levi.”

One of Levi's hands left Erwin's face and sought one of his hands.  Erwin felt the delicate fingers lace themselves between his own, felt the slight tremor in them and recognised the sheer strength of emotions coursing through Levi's veins.  His hand was lifted up, and a mouth pressed against it, kissing it gently, and Erwin felt the wetness against his cheeks and realised that Levi was crying.  His other hand left Levi's waist and reached out blindly, landing on Levi's neck.  He moved it slowly upwards, passing smooth skin and feeling the soft strands of hair under his fingers, securing it firmly at the back of Levi's neck, pulling him gently towards him.  Levi let go of his hand, one hand going to Erwin's face and gently steering it towards his own, the other gripping his waist tightly as their lips met.

He’d thought he’d remembered how this felt, but he’d been wrong.  He’d forgotten how it felt like, to feel those lips against his, feel the soft quick breaths fall on his face, listen to the sounds that escaped unintentionally from both of them as the kiss became more frantic.  His loss of sight had indeed heightened his other sense; he could almost feel the emotions pulsing in waves, taste it in the air, in the lips that tasted faintly of apples and home, but mostly through touch, his hand stroking Levi’s skin, passing over clothes, under clothes, relishing in the sudden gasps of breath, at the bitten lips, and everything, even when the kiss turned salty, and Erwin realised that they were both crying.  Levi pulled away, and Erwin felt the space between gape wide open, a black void, only to feel him move towards him again, and place two soft kisses, one on each eye, landing lighter than a butterfly and filling Erwin with a terrible urge to see, and the inability of doing so drove him crazy.  He traced Levi’s features, feeling him smile against the palm of his hand, feeling the warmth on his cheeks and guessing that he was flushed.  “I wish I could see your face,” Erwin said wistfully, and felt Levi sob quietly.  He moved again, and this time, Erwin’s had slipped from his face, landing low on his back as Levi embraced him, his head fitting in perfectly between his shoulder and crook of his neck.  The hair that fell on his skin sent shivers trailing through his nerves.  

“I missed you.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Now you’re home. I won’t allow anything to harm you here.”

Erwin felt the anger in those words, felt his chest heaved with emotion and his hands shaking with passion, a passion that arose from the hatred he held for the people who’d brought this upon Erwin.  Erwin passed his fingers through Levi’s hair, passing it through the shorter hairs at the nape of his neck and rising till he reached the downy, longer tufts of hair, trying to smooth away the pain that had traumatised the younger boy throughout the months when Erwin was gone.  Erwin felt a sudden pang to go home, to smell the familiar smells and hear the familiar sounds, and to sleep on a proper bed rather than a trench.  “Let’s go home.”

Levi pulled back, his reluctance in doing so evident in the way his fingers trailed slowly from his back to his shoulders, loathing to leave the warmth that was Erwin.  He grasped Erwin’s hands in his, directing him in a firmer voice, as if the kiss had reassured him that Erwin’s sight was the only thing that was missing, and that the love they shared had not been blown up with the shells on the battlefield.  Slowly, surely, Erwin managed to stand up, his hands holding on to Levi’s tightly, too tightly perhaps, but Levi wasn’t complaining.  He let go one hand and twisted around, wrapping Erwin’s hand effectively round his waist, snaking his free arm round Erwin’s own waist.  Erwin felt the hand around him, and at that moment, all instants of terror of not being able to walk or falling over an obstacle vanished, and he allowed Levi to guide him through touch, and he allowed Levi’s voice to lead him on, some kind of thread securing him to reality, to his past life.

Levi moved towards the door, extricating himself from Erwin to open the door.  He led Erwin inside, letting Erwin’s hands brush on the door as he walked through it, trying to reassert a sense if direction in his mind, and Erwin was suddenly home.  He waited patiently till Levi sat him down on a couch, feeling him sit down next to him, curling up to him like it had always been before they were separated.

And so, Erwin began talking, Levi listening quietly, occasionally stroking Erwin's arm and sending a shiver of electricity travelling through his body, kissing away Erwin’s tears with soft lips, running his fingers through the blonde hair to soothe Erwin’s ragged breathing.  The night arrived soon after that, Erwin feeling the tiredness seeping into his bones like the slow creeping tendrils of gas slowly infiltrating a human lung.

Immediately, his breathing got erratic, his heart beating wildly, his mouth twisted in a grimace, feeling alone, the presence of Levi gone from his side, and he was falling, falling into deeper darkness…

...Until he felt Levi’s hands on his face, cool against the red-hot cheeks, his lips peppering every inch of visible skin with kisses, his breath against his neck.  He gripped him back, tightly, weeping into his shoulder, howling like a newborn child, terrified of the darkness and surrounded by it.  Levi’s lips went lower, travelling to his neck, and now Erwin heard him whispering words, soothing words, words that steadied his heart rate and stopped his breath from coming out as ragged sobs.  He was slowly pushed down until he was lying down on the couch, feeling Levi’s weight on top of him, feeling his hands sliding over his shoulders and up his neck, and he raised his hands up, tracing a path from Levi’s chest up to his face, pulling him down, close enough that strands of hair fell on his face and tickled him.  He traced Levi’s lips with his thumb, feeling them smile against it, shifting his hands to allow the fingers to run through Levi’s hair, feeling him fall down and resting his lips against his own, a softly as a butterfly might land on a flower.  The contact sent a shudder through Erwin as he whispered, “It’s maddening, not being able to see you.”

Levi touched their foreheads together and whispered back, “We still have this, though.” 

When Levi began slowly unbuttoning his shirt, Erwin’s breathing became irregular again, his breaths coming out in little puffs as Levi traced his collarbones with his lips. He thought dizzily, _This is what I’d forgotten_.  As if booted into action by the maddening nips at his neck, his hands stopped wandering aimlessly over Levi’s body and grabbed Levi’s shirt, feeling down the front for buttons before realising that it had none, getting a savage sense of pleasure at Levi' shiver which accompanied the movement of his finger.  The next nip was much harder than the rest, and gave Erwin the strength needed to rip Levi’s shirt off him, running his hands over the exposed chest, and forming an image of Levi in his mind through touch., He let  his hands roam over the planes of Levi’s body, the heady smell of Levi encouraging Erwin onwards.

They fell asleep much later, intertwined together on the couch.  And when morning came along, out of habit, Erwin opened his eyes.

The sun’s rays filled his vision, and he closed them again, rapidly, unbelievingly, convinced that this was all a vivid dream, he was going to wake up now, and it would be dark again.  He opened them again, the inevitability of darkness making him bold. The darkness never came.  Instead, he saw colour. Bright, vivid colours bathed in the early morning sun, exquisite and rich.  But the brightest star of all was lying on his chest, fast asleep.  He shook Levi, beautiful Levi, and he woke up, gray eyes blinking sleepily, looking at Erwin’s tear-filled blue ones confusedly.

“Erwin?  What’s wrong?”

Then, suddenly, it came back to him, the fact that Erwin’s eyes had lost their function.  Which led him to the question: what were they doing staring at him with so much accuracy, so much recognition?

And then Erwin said three words, the most important three words that really mattered at the moment, “I can see.”

And then Erwin really appreciated how touch and sight combined could send his heart fluttering up high above the highest clouds in the sky. And as Levi's mouth fell open, hands going up to cover it, the next few words were blurted out with a rush of emotion, “And you’re even more beautiful than I’d imagined you’d become.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's kind of sad but vaguely so?  
> but it ends nicely so i make up for sad right there
> 
> thanks to OverMyFreckledBodu for being a fab beta
> 
> also im late but meh
> 
> Claire xxxxxxx


	4. Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I guess the title is self-explanatory ahahaha

Erwin has many scars. He has the one right below his right eyebrow, which is barely visible, which he'd gotten when he was very young, from falling from a tree. He had slightly newer but still faded scars from the multitude of injuries he'd obtained while he trained or participated in a mission outside the walls, peppering his arms and legs like freckles. All these scars paled in comparison to the newest scars, the words that splashed across his right side, a star-burst fanning round the place where his right arm used to be, and the ones that criss-crossed his back in a disfigured lattice, a gift from the Military. Sometimes he'd look at the reflection of his naked torso in the mirror, staring at the mess of scars that had accumulated there over the years, and feel a sense of pride, underlined by a deep sadness. He wondered how his life would been as a normal citizen, without these scars, without the emotional, identical imprint they'd left on his heart. He always reached the same conclusion – he'd be safer, maybe, but unhappy. He might have even married Maria, settled down, maybe had kids of his own.

He wouldn't have met Levi.

Levi, who didn't have as much body scars as he did, but whose scars were hidden, etched deep within him. Levi, whom he'd met under the most unlikely circumstances, whom he'd initially disliked. That man whom he'd gotten to know over time, and got to experience the ferocious intensity of his unleashed emotion and was astounded by it. He'd allowed him silence, that time quite long ago, the day when Levi chose and never once looked back. In that silence, all the scars were plainly displayed on his face, which was fighting to regain its usual composure, but not quite managing. Erwin could see the pain and sadness in his eyes, and knew that Levi's nature to hide his emotions would lead to yet another deep scar to form on his heart, and he made his mind to do anything in his power to ease their pain.

And somehow, they fell in love, slowly, but deeply, and never fading, almost like a scar in itself, a scar that never fades, a mark that was there for ever, reminding them every moment of their lives.

Erwin would always slip in a word or two that would remind Levi of his importance in his life, something that might ease the guilt and regret his heart still harboured. Levi in turn would grace him with one of his rare, beautiful smiles, kissing his shoulder, and later, after Erwin's more prominent injury, the remaining upper piece of his arm.

Levi knew the place of each scar, and he knew exactly how many there were. He would kiss all of them at night, placing his hand over Erwin's heart and kissing that space the longest, knowing that the scars in Erwin's heart where almost worse than the livid scars on his torso. He would whisper, in all his brutal honesty, what Erwin could improve, but also what Erwin meant to him. He'd often tell him how the awful weight on his shoulders of all the lives lost under his command was shared with him, because one man should never shoulder such a weight on his own. He would remind him of how brave he is, of how valiant and true he was to his mission. Those words, and the smattering of kisses that punctuated each sentence, slowly stitched up some of the scars, the strength of love and honesty behind Levi's voice assuring Erwin like nothing had ever reassured him before. In turn, Erwin would hold him in his arms, expressing his own honest opinion on Levi, chiding him gently for keeping all his emotions trapped inside, but never, ever forcing him to say them out loud, knowing that Levi will tell him when he feels like it. He'd remind him of how many lives he'd saved that day, and telling him that those who didn't make it died knowing that their Captain has done everything he could to keep them safe up till this point, and thanking him for that, reminding him that they had all volunteered for this job, and their deaths happened because of this choice (the same one they both took themselves). He would never forget to tell Levi that he was loved, not just by him, but by so many people that risked their lives with them. He'd always add, smiling slightly, that he loved him much more than any of the others could possible guess, and the tears Levi hid by turning away brought tears to Erwin's own eyes. He'd creep up to him and wrap his arms around the slighter figure from behind, until he'd feel Levi relax against him, his hands going to his, and the single word said in the silence of the room: _Thanks._

In the morning, Levi would always wake up first, bringing fresh water and bandages in the early days of the wound, changing Erwin's bandages while Erwin was still half-asleep. He'd trace the red scars with a gentle finger, and sometimes Erwin would feel a tear-drop land on it, trickling down the twisted, swollen path slowly.

And like that, they would slowly tend to each other's scars. Although the scars never completely healed, the love they had knit around them eased the pain, and the trust they'd built fortified their hearts and strengthened their resolve. They wore their scars with pride, in remembrance of all the thing they had been and all the things they'd done, and as a guide for the future decisions that they will take.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well that wasn't too sad now was it
> 
> hope you enjoyed it 
> 
> THANKS TO MY EVER PATIENT BETA OverMyFreckledBody SHE IS VERY PATIENT WITH ME
> 
> bye  
> Claire xxxxxxxxx


	5. Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my version of what happened after A Choice With No Regrets stops, so if you don't want it to be spoiled, I suggest you don't read this yet 
> 
> enjoOY

Erwin rode back to the walls in silence, Mike following right behind him, Levi a little way off. The rain soaked through their uniforms and drowned out the sounds of their dying comrades and dispersed the steam given off by the titans' dead bodies. He tried to remember all the faces of his fallen comrades and failed, feeling a bottomless sadness for them. Humanity had gained nothing but more losses, but through those losses, Erwin had discovered the most lethal killing machine – the small man currently guarding the rear of their little group.

Of course he'd known about their little secret plot to kill him, but he'd trusted in Levi, even though he hadn't particularly liked him in the first place. He'd trusted that he'd see the truth of things. And to be completely honest, he'd been quite interested in Levi's development. He'd sensed a lot of hidden hurt that had never quite surfaced, but around his friends he'd seemed peaceful. Thinking about his friends reminded Erwin of what had just happened to them, and brought his thoughts back to Levi. He knew how it felt to lose people that were very close to him, but he'd always been prepared for it. This had been Levi's first mission outside the walls, and the death of his friends, especially the fact that he'd seen them being torn up right before his eyes, had surely not been that expected. Or if it had been, it was still shocking, especially the first time round, without having ever gauged the titans sheer strength and brutality. He wiped the rain from his eyes, narrowing them in an effort to see where he was going.

The walls loomed up closer, and he got the feeling that he always got whenever he saw them, the mixed feeling of relief that he's alive, sadness for those who cannot see it again, and regret that this mission was another failure. Most of all, he felt anger, anger at the fact that the human race had been trapped behind them for an indefinite period of time, possibly forever. He steeled himself for the inevitable greeting, and joined the rest of his comrades, which had depleted to almost half the amount of people that they'd started with.

Much later, safely back at the barracks, Erwin realised that he hadn't seen Levi in quite a while. Suddenly worried, he went to look for him, trying to ignore the deathly silence punctuated by sobs of grief that still echoed eerily in the air. He looked everywhere, and was about to give when he spotted two feet dangling from the barrack roof.

He called up cautiously. “Levi?”

Levi's head peeked out over the overhanging roof, his eyes wet but his face set in his usual emotionless mask. “What is it?”

“Can I come up?”

Levi's head disappeared out of view, but his voice still drifted down to reach Erwin's eras, and he was surprised at the answer it carried. “Whatever.” It wasn't, perhaps, the most polite of answers, but from Levi, it was quite unusual. 

He scaled the ladder at the side of the wall, gripping the overhang and hauling himself easily on the roof, crawling ungainly towards Levi, letting his legs fall down over the roof's edge, leaning back, looking at Levi's back as it shook slightly.

Levi seemed to compose himself, and he turned round. “Why do you care?”

The question surprised Levi almost as much as it surprised Erwin, who had expected several things, mostly “I hate you” and “I still want to kill you horribly” and “I really deeply despise you”, but not that. Levi, in turn, had not expected that he would care so much to know why Erwin cared.

Erwin lay down on the roof, looking up at the late afternoon sun peeking behind the rain clouds, and said slowly, “I know how it feels to lose someone. I know how it feels to carry the burden of the lives lost under your command. My own father was killed because of my actions, and even though I was still very young, and innocent of the danger I was putting him, I still feel responsible for his death. I am a Squad Leader. I have sent many people to their deaths. My heart is scoured my gashes, each one a single death that I've caused.

“Your friends died because they fought bravely. Do not think of their deaths as a fault of yours, and do not belittle their deaths. You 'abandoning' them was not the thing that lead to their deaths. As I've already said, had you been there with them, their would be no guarantee that their lives would have been spared. So I ask of you again: keep their deaths alive by fighting with me against the true cause of their deaths, and all the other losses. Your heart may never heal, but the revenge we are seeking on these accursed monsters will be like a balm to soothe over the aches.

“Will you stand with me?”

Levi made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a choked sob, and said hoarsely, “Yes. I'll follow your every command.”

Erwin sat up, eyes on Levi's face. “Do still hate me?”

Levi looked at him and met his eyes for the first time during their conversation. His eyes showed the truth. “No.”

Erwin smiled, and held out a hand. “From this day on, we'll have each others back.”

Levi took the hand and shook, nodding in affirmation, too choked up to speak.

From that they on, Levi began opening up slightly to Erwin. Later on, he picked up a habit of taking the new Commander his morning tea, expressing his honest opinions to him and occasionally sharing his feelings, and slowly, ever so slowly, he could feel the open wounds in his heart close, and he realised that Erwin was, inevitably, right. He would listen to him quietly, and Erwin realised that he was trying to help Erwin heal his heart as well. He felt bad for unloading all his worry on him, but Levi would always answer back with a witty, sarcastic remark, and Erwin would feel better almost instantaneously. Levi grew to be a soldier that no one could ever compare to, dedicating all his energy in becoming stronger, but he never forgot Farlan and Isabelle. Their memory powered him on, as did the memory of his squad members and all the other acquaintances he'd made in his time at the Survey Corps. Erwin remembered all the lives he'd sacrificed, and with his usual defiant grimness, he vowed that their deaths were not in vain. And together, Levi and Erwin slowly began healing their emotional scars, and the intense bond of trust that grew between them led them to figure out that they had someone grew to love each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well I tried and I hope I succeeded
> 
> comments are always appreciated because the sheer effort of will to write is exhausting and I'd love to see feedback from you guys
> 
> thanks for reading  
> byee
> 
> Claire xxxx (ALSO THANKS OverMyFreckledBody MY LONG SUFFERING BETA)


	6. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fantasy au where Warlock!Levi wants to see the sea and Prince!Erwin (a.k.a Prince Charming IRL) just happend to be from the Sea Kingdom  
> Dreams do come true.  
> that was the single most cliché thing i have ever said in my life save me

Levi listlessly waved his hand at a tree, changing the colour of the leaves from green to blue to purple, bored out of his mind. His clothes, once beautiful and richly decorated, now dirty and torn. He had escaped with his life, but barely. When his previous King, whom he had served most loyally, had found out that he was a magic-user, a warlock specifically, he had booted him out, scared out of his wits of the powers that he could not comprehend. The townspeople had sent him away with curses, kicking and throwing punches at his body, spitting in his face. Now, after so many years carefully hiding his magic, he just didn't care any more, and allowed it to spring freely from his fingers, filling the air around him with a smell of roses, something that still puzzled him. He didn't even like roses.

He sat down abruptly on the grass, the leaves stuck on a bright hue of blue that clashed distinctly with its neighbouring trees, and thought about his options. When he was in the palace, he could dream, and his dreams could be made a reality. He dreamt that one day, he'd be able to see the sea. He'd only ever read about it – a vast expanse of water, sparkling merrily under the bright, unobstructed rays of sun. He sighed, remembering the feel of the words rolling over his tongue. He'd missed the journey by a few days. He was more disappointed in that than the fact that he hardly had enough money on him to buy himself a week's worth of food. 

He closed his eyes, feeling the rays of sun seeping through the canopy of leaves overhead and warming his face. Beneath his hands, which were cupping the back of head, the earth trembled a bit, and his keen sense of hearing, enhanced slightly by magic, caught the sounds of a horse being ridden. Startled, and slightly frightened, he scramble up, climbing the nearest tree and hiding in the branches, noticing that the tree opposite him was still painted a very interesting shade of blue. He cursed quietly, raising his hand to change the colour back, and froze. The hooves of the horse stomped louder, and the horse (and rider) burst through the trees and into the clearing, passing over the spot where Levi's head had been five minutes earlier. Levi held his breath. The man was breathtakingly beautiful. If he were to die at those hands for using magic, he wouldn't really mind. What was he saying? Of course he would mind, he didn't feel like dying yet, thank you very much.

The man, whose blonde hair seemed to shimmer in the rays of sun alighting on top of it, got off the horse, and _holy heck_ he was tall.  Levi was not staring.  Definitely not.

The man looked up at the blue leaves and nodded thoughtfully.  He reached up and plucked a single leaf from the tree.  “Interesting,” he muttered to himself, pocketing the leaf and turning around.  He breathed in, and shifted his head slightly.  Levi noticed something sparkle in his hair, and realised that it was a simple silver band, wrapped securely around his head.  He let go of his breath, letting it rush out of his mouth in surprise.  This wasn’t a huntsman sent from his Palace - this was a Prince.

The Prince’s face looked up sharply at the noise, and Levi felt his lungs desperately try to pull in air, but his mouth was too busy hanging open to obey the urgent request.  The bluest of eyes seemed to pierce the distance that lay between them and reach straight into Levi’s soul, and Levi knew that he was fucked.  Very much so.  He kept a firm hold of the branch he was clinging to with one hand, raising the other to wave sheepishly at him.  And then, the most unexpected thing happened.  The Prince smiled, and waved back, and with the wave, the air moved and Levi suddenly felt himself lift from the branch.  His eyes widened, and his (admittedly short) legs swung back and forth frantically as the ground got slowly nearer to him.  He landed in a wave of honey-smelling air, and his eyes must have been as wide as saucers from the way the Prince was grinning.

“Y-y-y-you’re a magic user too?”

The Prince was grinning so widely, Levi feared it might crack the skin of his face.  “Indeed I am.  I’m a Wizard.”

Levi suddenly puffed out his chest.  Wizards were a class lower than Warlocks, mainly in the range of abilities they possessed.  He was about to state exactly what he was when the blonde prick standing in front of him interrupted.  “You’re a Warlock, aren’t you?”

Levi deflated slightly.  “Aye.  A Warlock without a job.”

The Prince looked him up and down.  “So it seems.”  Levi flushed, suddenly embarrassed.  The Prince caught the red blooming in his cheeks and said, quickly, “Don’t worry about your appearance.  I was greatly impressed by the little display you put up there.”

Levi huffed.  “I was bored.”

The Prince blinked.  “You did all this because you were bored?  Doesn’t it waste a lot of energy?”

“Not when you’re a Warlock.  We have greater reserve of power, while you have a faster, more efficient magic which consumes energy.”  He could see that the little trick the Prince had done had cost him - his eyes looked weary and his shoulders drooped slightly before he set them back in order.

“That’s true.  Oh, I’m Prince Erwin, from the Sea Kingdom.  I’m not sure anyone round here knows much about me, but -”

“-you’re the only magic-using Prince to ever succeed to the throne on history.  No one likes you much here,” Levi concluded, noting the slightly crestfallen look on Erwin’s face and deciding to finish his story.  “I wasn’t too happy with the reaction of my King, so to prove that magic-users are just ordinary people with an extraordinary power, I revealed my true form.  Which lead me to lose my job and change leaf colours out in the woods.  What are you doing here anyway?”  

“You’re a bit foolhardy.”

“Thank you.  Can you answer the question?”

“I was meant to be meeting the King of the Earth Kingdom, your King, as I take it from the garment you are wearing, and I may have gotten a little bit lost.”

Levi suddenly remembered the exact reason why the King had wanted to meet the Prince, and why he had decided to reveal his biggest secret.  He stepped toward the Prince, alarm making him forget his courtesies.  “You mustn't go.  He was planning on kidnapping you, to examine you!  Go back to your Kingdom, and secure it well.”

Erwin looked stricken.  “Don’t they know I have magic?”

“Wizards aren’t that useful once their energy runs out.  A few soldiers’ lives wouldn’t matter if it meant exhausting you enough to be able to capture you.”

Erwin’s shock morphed into anger.  “How vile!  I would fight this King to the death for his poor ability to rule wisely!”

“And you would foolishly die.  If I fought with you, you might stand a chance, but you are untrained.  I can sense your magical powers, and they are raw, like uncut stone.”

“Could you teach me?”

Levi was taken aback.  A Prince was asking him, a vagabond, to teach him magic.  Not to mention, the Prince was handsome.  This was a good bargain.  “Sure.”  He thought quickly, and added, “But before, would you promise me one thing?”

The Prince looked confident.  “Anything.  Riches, gold, clothes, you name it.”

“Will you take me to see the sea?”

Levi could see in Erwin’s eyes that this was the farthest thing he was expecting to hear.  His eyes softened, and he held out his hand.  Levi looked at his hands, smeared with dust and blood from where he’d shielded himself from the rocks people had sent flying at his face, and didn’t lift his hand.  Erwin looked at Levi’s smaller hands and stepped closer to the Warlock, the hand that was already being held out darting towards Levi’s hand and grabbing one of them.  Levi’s head snapped up, the shock clear in his stormy grey eyes.  “Why did you do that?”

“A man who has fought against injustices is an honourable man.  It does not matter whether his hands are dirtied by the dust or by the blood that he has shed.”  

Levi could feel the warmth of Erwin’s hand seep through his cold fingers, the skin soft and unmarked, and a crackle of electricity passed between them, the spark of magic meeting magic.  Erwin’s eyes glittered with righteous fury, and Levi felt something inside him pull him towards this mysterious Prince, wanting to know more about him.

He found himself squeezing the Prince’s hand, unsure of what to do with it.  The Prince stared at him for a bit.  Finally, Levi spoke.  “Um, what is this supposed to mean?”

The Prince laughed, a deep, heart laugh that was highly contagious and was rendering Levi incapable of keeping a straight face.  When he stopped to catch his breath, he gasped out an explanation between residual giggles.  “I forgot that you Earth people have different customs than us.  When we greet people, or make a deal, we shake hands.  Like so.”  He demonstrated, and Levi suddenly felt very stupid.

“Oh.”

“How do you greet people?”

Levi flushed slightly, his hand going to the back of his neck in an attempt to cover the blush.  “Well.”

“Tell me.”

“Should I be calling you ‘Your Highness’ or something?”

“Stop avoiding the question.  What do you do?”

Levi sighed.  He stood on his tiptoes and kissed both of Erwin’s cheeks, landing back on the heels of his feet and looking down at the grass, avoiding Erwin’s face.

“Wow.  That’s a really cute way of greeting people.”

Levi glared up at the Wizard Prince, who was grinning, and noticed the remnant of a blush fade from his cheeks.  “Well, should we get started?”

The Prince looked confused.  “On what?”

“Our journey.  You have a horse.  I have magic I can teach you.  Does that make sense?”

Erwin’s eyes cleared.  “Oh yes.  After you.”

“No, after you.”

“But you’re a Warlock!”

“And you’re a _fucking Prince_.”

Somehow, they managed to mount the horse, Levi propped up in front of Erwin, Erwin’s hands snaking from beneath his arms and holding the reigns of the horse.  Levi was aware of how close they were, which wasn’t doing wonders to his naturally unbalanced emotional state.  And then they were off, and Levi forgot everything and realised that the reason he’d never ridden a horse was because it was terrifying, and he spent the remainder of the journey till their first rest clinging to the horse’s mane and praying.

The rest of the journey passed by in a similar fashion.  Levi taught Erwin magic, and Erwin improved (although he could never quite reach the Warlock’s standards).  While they rode, Erwin would tell stories from his childhood, and Levi began slowly relaxing, forgetting his terror and letting the stories unfold in his head, combined with the knowledge he’d gleaned from the many texts he’d read about the sea.

And slowly, their friendship became stronger, and Levi stopped referring to him as ‘Prince’ in his mind, and Erwin stopped trying to impress him with his good looks because he knew he was already very impressed (to the point where he couldn’t really hide it), and it wasn’t that unexpected when their friendship morphed into something else.

And when, at last, Levi beheld the sight of the sea, he beheld it while holding Erwin’s hand, tears pouring shamelessly from his eyes as the sight of the thunderous might of the rolling waves broke all his illusions of the sea, and the sharp, tangy smell filled him with energy unlike anything he’d ever felt before.  And as he hugged Erwin, squeezing with all his might (which was a valiant attempt, seeing as he reached up to Erwin’s torso and weighed next to nothing), he said, loudly so he could be heard over the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, “This is better than I’d dreamt it would be!”

“Dreams do come true!”

“Shut it you stereotypic old sod!” 

“You came true!”

Levi looked at him, disbelieve clear in his eyes.  Erwin said defensively, “What?”

“You do realise you’re an idiot, right?”

“...Yes?”

“I’m actually in love with the biggest idiot in all the four Kingdoms.”

Erwin grinned at him, and Levi backed off quickly, knowing the look in his eyes and not liking it.  “No.”  Erwin stepped towards him, and in four strides he caught up to him and lifted him up, ignoring Levi’s repeated “No”s, and threw him in the sea.

What he happened to forget, of course, was that Levi was one of the strongest Warlocks in all the Four Kingdoms.

With a wave from Levi’s hand, Erwin joined Levi in the sea.

They looked at each other, rivulets of water streaking their faces and weighing down their hair, and burst out laughing, the noise of it drowned by the splashing waves, abruptly paused when Levi kissed Erwin, who tasted of salt and honey and sunshine, and when he pulled back, looking at Erwin’s stunned expression, he smiled, and said, genuinely, “Thank you.”

And Erwin cracked a smile, and started saying, “Dreams do c-” before Levi pushed his head underwater.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i lOVE THIS AU SO MUCH  
> IM GONNA WRITE A FULL FIC ON THIS WATCH ME IM GONNA DO IT UGH
> 
> FANTASY AUS KILL ME DEAD
> 
> IM GONNA GO CRY AT THE LACK OF TIME I HAVE TO WRITE
> 
> BYE  
> cLAIRE XXXXX ALSO THANKS TO MY USUAL BETA IM TOO LAZY TO WRITE HER FUL USERNAME


	7. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this was the first prompt i wrote and it's my favourite pls like it its my baby
> 
> Reincarnation au where Levi and Erwin are college students. shit happens basically
> 
> mild graphic imagery but barely there

_“Erwin… No…NO!”_

Levi woke up, gasping for breath, his hands clinging to the sheets like a lifeline, soaked in sweat.  This was the second time in so many hours that he’d woken up from the same nightmare.  He closed his eyes, opening them again hastily as the too-real image of the last scene in the nightmare flashed in front of his eyes, as if it had been branded on the inside of his eyelids.  He sat up, running a hand against the shorn hairs at the back of his head as he looked at the time.  The flashing display on his alarm clock read 2:30AM.  He sighed, slumping back against the pillows as he tried to control his breathing.  

He extended an arm out to his bedside table, fumbling around till his fingers closed around the familiar shape of his phone.  He pressed the power button, wincing as the sudden glare of light hit his sleep-filled eyes.  To his surprise, he found an unread message in his inbox.  He tapped on the tiny envelope, rubbing at his eyes as he waited for the screen to open.  

He wasn’t surprised to see that the sender was none other than Erwin.  He smiled slightly as he glanced at the tiny contact photo, remembering the day when he’d taken it.  It was a slightly blurred shot of the blonde, who’d been fast asleep on Levi’s couch after a particularly harsh studying regime when Levi had taken the picture, and Levi was quite fond of it, even though he’d teased Erwin for an entire week after for ‘drooling in his sleep’.  Levi turned his attention to the text.

 **Blonde Dude: [2:15]**  
I can’t sleep

Levi sighed.  Erwin had been complaining of nightmares recently, and Levi had started to worry that he wouldn’t be able to concentrate well at college if he continued missing out precious sleep hours.  Of course, he hadn’t been telling him that he was going through a scarily similar hell every night.  He decided to send back.

 **Levi: [2:33]**  
nightmares again?

The answer came back almost immediately, and Levi felt guilty at having almost not answered back.  

 **Blonde Dude: [2:33]**  
What do you think? what are yuo doin up so late?

Levi raised an eyebrow at the typos which had botched up Erwin’s usually immaculate spelling.   _He must be really exhausted_ , Levi thought as he typed back an answer, not bothering to remove the spelling mistakes, trying not to let the worry take over his brain.

 **Levi: [2:34]**  
u wont believw me when i say its becoz of nightmares. rly horrible ones too. vry vivid. tried sleeping and managed to drwam the exact same dream. so weird

 **Blonde Dude:[2:34]**  
That’s what’s been happening to me too, to tell you troijvm.,

Levi blinked when that message arrived, wondering if Erwin was high, drunk, or simply so exhausted that he’d managed to fall asleep halfway through writing that message.  When he’d waited for around two minutes without any apologetic text, he decided that Erwin had simply fallen asleep, and sent another message.

 **Levi: [2: 37]**  
guessing u slept. thanks for staying up and helping me out  
bastard  
see you later  
xx

As his eyes unwittingly fell shut, he briefly wondered what crazy notion had taken over his mind and urged him to finish the otherwise offensive text with two ‘x’s.  He was already asleep when the phone beeped on the table next to him, the screen flashing once.  But Levi was already gone.

He woke up at 7, literally falling out of his bed as the alarm let off its shrill wailing tone right next to his goddamned ear.  He struggled to stand up, clinging to the bedsheets and almost pulling them off the mattress as he hauled himself up, his ears barraged with the onslaught of sound.  He slammed his hand down on the alarm, yelling loudly at it and possibly waking up a few more neighbours in the process.  He sat down on the bed, muttering beneath his breath about how unfair life was.  Who would ever be in their right mind to actually _enjoy_ waking up at such an ungodly hour?

As if answering his otherwise rhetoric question, the phone beeped, and Levi reached backwards for it without looking, almost dropping the alarm clock in the process.  He unlocked the phone, getting the pass code wrong three times before managing to aggressively tap in the correct sequence and reach the home screen.  He found two messages in his inbox (obviously from Erwin, who obviously didn’t know the unspoken rule that no one should send text messages at seven in the morning.  He was surprised to see that only one message had been delivered now - the other one had been delivered five hours earlier.  He tapped on the most recent one, rolling his eyes fondly at Erwin’s daily Good Morning message, which he usually graced with a ‘whatever’ or a ‘morning dumbass’.  Erwin was never disheartened, and seemed to take such answers as further approval to send messages at seven in the morning.  He then went to the other message, and almost felt his neck flare red as sleep-deprived words read:

 **Blonde Dude: [2:41]**  
sorry for l8 reply, mob fell on face and it hurt  
also think you’re sleeping now, so goodnight lev, sleep well  
cu later :) xxxxxx

He was sure that Erwin’s finger had slipped on the ‘x’ key, but then again, Erwin was always very affectionate.  Although he told himself he wasn’t going to dwell on it, he couldn’t quite fight the smile from appearing on his face every now and then as he got ready to leave for college.  

He arrived with time to spare, so he walked towards the back of the huge building, where there was a tiny green area, fighting his way through the throng of students as he whipped out his phone to send a message to Erwin.

 **Levi: [7:41]**       
im here

He found a low wall which he often frequented and hauled himself up, grumbling as he scuffed the shining white tip of his shoes against it and frantically wiped the dirt away.  His phone vibrated next to him, almost shaking itself over the edge.  Levi slapped a hand against the screen just in time, scowling deeply as he tapped in the password.  The phone buzzed again while he was doing so, and when he opened, he was wondering whether Erwin enjoyed wasting money on purpose.

 **Blonde Dude: [7:43]**  
otw luv

 **Blonde Dude: [7:43]**  
lev*

Levi raised both eyebrows at that, typing in a quick answer as he imagined Erwin’s cheeks slowly turning red while trying to appear normal on the bus.

 **Levi: [7:44]**  
r u trying to pass that as an autocorrect mistake coz i kno u dont even have autocorrect on

 **Blonde Dude: [7:44]**  
Sort of slipped out haha.  Maybe I’ll start calling you luv after all, seeing as it sorta goes with your name

 **Levi: [7:44]**  
no it sorta doesnt dont u dare

 **Blonde Dude: [7:45]**  
sorry luv cant hear you over the increasing sound of my laughter

Levi glowered at the screen.  His plan had backfired.  He sighed, shoving his hands in his pocket and balancing his phone on top of his folded legs as he waited for his best friend to arrive.

He appeared some five minutes after the last text, slightly pink in the face as he ran through the crowds, so very nearly late but not quite.  Levi waited for him, not moving from his perch even when Erwin was right next to him, leaning against the wall for support.

Erwin peered up at Levi, squinting as the feeble rays of sun stung his eyes.  “Slept well, love?”

Levi glared at him, throwing in as much anger as he could muster into one single concentrated beam, but nothing seemed to daunt Erwin, who was smiling up at him brightly.  “Fuck off,” he stated clearly, putting as much feeling as he could behind each individual word, enunciating them clearly so that Erwin might get the extent of how much he disliked the word.  Which, of course, only encouraged Erwin to use it as often as he could in the future.  For now, he focussed on climbing up next to Levi, immediately destroying the little height advantage Levi had over him.  

He swung his legs out in front of him, earning another glare from Levi for being too cheerful this early in the morning, and then stopped abruptly when an image from his nightmare blocked his rapid flow of thought, like a pebble might block the path of a flowing stream - _Levi, tears flowing from his eyes, clutching at him, his eyesight getting dimmer as he reached up_ \- he blinked.  Levi was staring at him, his hand resting lightly on his arm, sparking memories from a far off time, rekindling feelings that had been dormant for so long.

“Oi, Erwin, are you okay?”

Levi had panicked slightly when Erwin’s eyes had widened into a horrified stare, and his hand automatically came up to touch Erwin’s arm lightly, triggering a memory which he didn’t even recall having, a memory of a distant time, in a completely different context that sent the blood rushing to Levi’s face.  Erwin seemed older in the memory, and his face was sadder, but full of an emotion that Levi couldn’t pin down, and didn’t particularly want to dwell on.  He let the memory go just as Erwin blinked and returned from whatever though had terrified him so much.

“I’m fine.”

Levi clearly didn’t believe him, from how his usually unperturbed calm voice shook all over the place, and how his clear blue eyes had filled with tears.  Levi was struck by an unusual bout of kindness, where he allowed his hand to stray further down Erwin’s arm and linked their hands together, squeezing slightly.  He knew that Erwin would open up in his own time, but for now, he’d give him his space.

“Let’s go to class, we’re gonna be late.”

Erwin smiled, squeezing back, and somehow they managed to climb off the wall without falling.

The day passed by without any further incidents or strange occurrences, and it was only when night had fallen that Levi remembered the memory that he’d never made.  It scared him, not only because he did not know from where it came from, but also because of the feelings it was stirring inside him, feelings that seemed to be familiar to his soul, but that his brain had not been aware if.  It wasn’t the case of feelings being harboured without awareness from the brain.  It was more a case of feelings that had been there for an impossibly long period of time.  And it was that very concept that scared the living hell out of him.  

That night, it was he who sent Erwin first, breaking a long-standing tradition of one-worded replies by writing an actual sentence: _hope u sleep well tonite eyebrows cu tom and b good xxx_

He locked the phone and threw it on the bed-side table, switching of the little lamp and curling up in between the sheets, closing his eyes and popping in his earbuds, not turning to check whether Erwin had graced him with a reply, and allowed the soft voice of Keaton Henson to send him to sleep, one of the lyrics highlighted in his thoughts as he drifted into a deeper sleep: “ _If you must die, die knowing your life was my life’s best part…”_

And unknowingly, Levi began to dream.

_It was an important day.  A step forwards towards the bettering of human life.  Today, the titans would see how strong humanity had grown._

_Levi felt anxious.  His usually confident attitude was clouded by apprehension.  He hadn’t voiced his opinion, because it would dull Erwin’s resolve, but he couldn’t help but stick more closely to him, trailing behind him like a second shadow._

_The scenario flashed and changed - suddenly it was the midst of battle, and Levi felt the sweet rush of air accompanied by the adrenaline pumping in his blood as he swooped down to neatly make two incisions in the titan’s neck, dodging the spurt of blood gracefully as he sprang back, somersaulting backwards through the air and landing neatly on his feet.  He fretted over his blades, wiping the blood from them as he looked around for his next target._

_Which was when he saw it._

_It was a deviant type, and it was heading straight to him.  It seemed to be female, with coarse black hair and wild brown eyes, flailing her hands and shaking the ground with her heavy footfalls.  He heard a shout above the general noise, someone yelling his name - “Levi!”_

_He paid no heed to it, and leaped up into the air, shooting the grappling hooks towards a couple of trees and pulling himself forward effortlessly, releasing the hooks and used a spurt of gas to propel himself onwards, fluidly shifting from one action to the other in practised ease, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he dodged the flailing limbs, trying to catch sight of the neck area, seeing comrades flashing past from the corner of his eyes, blocking them out and focussing solely on his target.  His field of vision narrowed, and he was about to go in for the killing blow when all of a sudden one of the hands appeared right before his eyes._

_He cursed loudly, his momentum to high to twist out of the way, and he swung wildly with his blade, but someone was already there in front of him, cutting the hand out of the way.  Levi saw a flash of yellow hair, a single blade glinting in the air, and he screamed.  “Erwin!  Get out of here!”_

_He was losing concentration, his momentum dying out, his chances of killing the titan becoming fewer as the distance between him and it drew closer.  Levi pulled back, shooting successive spurts of gas to try and gain enough height to go in for the kill again._  

_It was too late._

_He knew he was too late, because he knew all too well that when Erwin made up his mind, he could not be swayed.  He knew this, and yet he still lunged in, his mouth set in a tight line, his eyes wild, even as he saw Erwin plucked out of the air, his single arm pointing the blade in defiance at the titan’s face, his face set, peaceful.  His eyes met Levi’s, and he dropped the blade as the titan squeezed tighter.  He lifted his emptied hand, and placed it over his heart, not in a salute, but more in a gesture of farewell.  He closed his eyes, knowing that the damage made to his organs was already beyond healing, waiting for the final blow._

_Erwin fell._

_He opened his eyes, barely catching what had happened, only seeing a blur of movement as Levi ducked and attacked, pulled back, and repeated, leaving multiple lacerations on the titan’s flesh wherever he hit, working furiously till he delivered the final blow in savage pleasure.  Erwin was still falling, rapidly losing height, when he felt a pressure at his side, and he was falling diagonally as a tiny whirlwind of anger hit him from the side, hands going under him and lifting him up as Levi landed on both feet, skidding to a halt, laying down Erwin on the ground, knowing it was hopeless even as a trickle of blood fell from between Erwin’s lips.  He was hardly aware that the rest of the titans had been dealt with, and that his surviving comrades were standing metres away from them, horrified and shocked that their Commander was inevitably dying._

_Levi was crying.  He was aware of the tears rolling down his cheeks, splashing on to Erwin’s face as he leaned over him, touching their foreheads together as his hands flitted over Erwin’s body, trying in vain to stop the blood, his very life, from flowing out, aware that his mouth was incapable of forming words.  Erwin’s eyes were growing dimmer, his strength leaving him, his breathing becoming laboured as each second ticked by._  

_Levi closed his eyes, but opened them again when he heard Erwin’s voice, severely weakened, but still the voice of the man that had seemed to be the only thing that kept him chained to reason, to life, to purpose.  “Levi...don’t blame...yourself.”_

_Levi wiped the tears that had fallen on Erwin’s face, tracing a path from his cheekbones to the tips of his ears, fastidiously wiping away the blood from his mouth, as Erwin continued.  “I...love you.”_

_Levi looked up, meeting his eyes, the unspoken knowledge finally being placed into words.  He was about to return the sentiment, but he realised it was too late._

_Too late._

Levi woke up, tears streaming down his eyes as he gasped for breath, horrified by the clarity and the details his dream contained.  Surely he could not have such an advanced imagination to think up so many extraordinary beings?  He wiped the tears away, and became aware of the tiny, beeping light that came from his phone.  

He grabbed it, a lifeline securing him to normality, to video games and boring routines and blessed college days and early morning texts, and slammed in the password, reading the text Erwin had sent in reply to Levi’s spontaneous goodnight text.

 **Blonde Dude: [22:28]**  
You too luv :P  
See you tomorrow xxxxx

He smiled through the tears that were still pouring uncontrollably down his face, allowing the words to soothe him, to reassure him that the giant doofus he’d known for the best part of his life was safe, alive, and equipped with two fully-functioning arms (and was also hopeless at any video games involving combat).  

He slept without any further nightmares, and woke up with barely any recollection of the dream, save the last, heart-wrenching scene.

He groaned loudly as he picked up the alarm clock from where he’d smashed it on the floor after it almost gave him a heart attack for the nth number of time.  Today was a hectic day at college, and after such a broken night, he found himself looking forward to it with an even greater desire than usual.

He was wondering whether he should break his ‘No Texts at 7AM’ rule to enlighten Erwin with his heightened sense of sarcastic wit when the phone buzzed in his hands, almost causing Levi to hurl it at the wall in surprise.  He caught it from the air, punching in the passcode in record time to find himself staring at a picture of his college’s front gate.  The caption said: “I may be a bit earlier than usual.”

 **Levi: [7:09]**  
wat the fuck are u doing at college at 7 u dumbass

 **Blonde Dude: [7:10]**  
Woke up at 4 bcause of nightmares and couldn’t sleep

 **Levi: [7:10]**  
so u decided it was a dandy idea to go to college

 **Blonde Dude: [7:10]**  
Basically, yes

 **Levi: [7:11]**  
have i ever told u ure an idiot

 **Blonde Dude: [7:11]**  
Multiple times with increasing levels of annoyance

Levi didn’t deign to write down a reply, choosing instead to get ready because for once, he was going to arrive later than Erwin, and he didn’t feel like waving off the smug smile on Erwin’s face if he missed the first lesson.

He arrived with two minutes to spare, trying to stem the flood of text messages from Erwin as he ran across the grounds, dodging bags and elbowing people out of the way.  He found Erwin leaning against the wall, and Levi felt his heart thud more vigorously at the sight.  He wondered to what extent the dream had affected the way he thought of Erwin, and tried not to dwell on it as he scowled at Erwin, who was beaming brightly at him.  His smile was so bright it almost hurt Levi’s eyes.

“What are you so happy about, asshole?”

“You look flustered.”

“That’s completely your fault for almost making me lose my bus from all those fucking text messages.”

Erwin’s smile stretched wider, showing his teeth, one of them slightly chipped from where he’d inadvertently walked into a wall when he was younger (he liked telling people he’d actually gotten it from a fist fight, but no one really believed him). Levi tried to maintain his frown for some time, but the happiness radiating from Erwin leaked into Levi’s mind and he smiled back, albeit keeping his eyebrows scrunched together, as if to point out that he was still mad at Erwin.  

They walked into the building and instantly their eyes were taken by a giant poster:

‘ _PARTY AT DEVIL’S CLIFF TOMORROW TO CELEBRATE LIFE IN GENERAL_ ’, it read, the big, bolded words outlined with highlighters and exclamation marks, as if to emphasise how fun and spectacular it was going to be.  Erwin turned to Levi, playing up the puppy eyes, knowing before he’d fully turned his head that Levi would be glaring at him.  He opened his mouth, and Levi cut him off with a “No.”

Erwin halted in the middle of the hall, Levi walking ahead before realising that Erwin wasn’t following.  He turned, one hand on his hip, the other playing at the strap of his bag.  

“I want to go.”

“Go.”

“But you have to come.”

“No.”

“You need to go out more, Lev.  It’ll be fun!”

“No, Er.  Seriously.  I’m not much of a fan of heights.”

This wasn’t true in the slightest, but Levi felt it was his duty to discourage Erwin.  He was having a really bad feeling about this, a churning pit of apprehension that he’d already experienced before.  And that didn’t bode well.  He felt that something would go horribly wrong, an event that was going to be repeated, a pain that would be rekindled tenfold.

“Just once.”

Levi was starting to relent.  He knew that when Erwin set his mind on something, he wouldn’t unmake it easily, and if he persisted, he’d just go on his own, even if it meant just proving a point to Levi.  And that obstinacy scared Levi, because if something bad were to happen, he wouldn’t be there to secure Erwin’s back.  He huffed loudly, and Erwin’s eyes lit up.

“Was that an OK?”

Levi turned round, giving him his back, and spoke over his shoulder.  “I guess I’ll give it a try.  Someone needs to babysit you at all times, anyway.”

Erwin whooped loudly enough to scare away some students, and Levi rolled his eyes as he was dragged off to class by the elated blonde, all the time wondering whether he should have made more effort into preventing Erwin from going and cursing how weak his resolve was were Erwin was concerned.  

Whenever they met each other between periods and in free slots, Erwin informed him about some new detail that Levi would just _love_ to know.  Levi listened patiently as Erwin rambled on about, sifting through the information and highlighting the most important details, such as the fact that there would be alcohol, which Levi found to be irresponsible.  Not that Levi disliked alcohol or anything.  He wasn’t overly fond of it, mind you, but he enjoyed a bit now and then.  But to think there would be alcohol on a cliff was what Levi labelled as _Stupidity in the Highest Level_.  He noted down which people he could secure Erwin with if need be, although Hanji was perhaps not the best choice, seeing as she was already too hyper in normal circumstances.  She was only one person though, and the rest of the group they occasionally hung out with were quite ordinary, trustworthy folk.  He let the rest of the information pass, nodding occasionally when Erwin stopped for breath.  

He couldn’t help but notice certain things that the dream had made him aware of, such as the sharp shadows his cheekbones threw across his face, and how they brought out the bright blue of his eyes, which could turn from serious to laughing in a matter of seconds.  A strand of blonde hair would occasionally fall in front of his eyes, and he would push it away with strong hands, not even aware of the action.  He did not seem to be aware of his own beauty, which of course, made his beauty even more apparent.  Levi sighed.  Fucking idiot.

When the last lecture came to an end, they met at the gates, saying goodbye before they parted ways.  Levi had to remind himself several times that they weren’t together in real life, and it had only been in his dreams.  He was vaguely worried by the fact that he’d dreamt that, but he didn’t really worry about feelings, because they occasionally chose to act, and when they did, he just followed their lead.  He was interested in seeing what they had to say now.  The more pressing fact was that he didn't feel weird simply because he was confusing the feelings he’d dreamt with his feelings in real life, but rather because he felt as if they’d always been in a relationship, but he’d just not been aware of it.  He decided that, if the dreams persisted, he would talk to Erwin and see what dreams he was dreaming, and maybe from there he could conclude that it was simply an overly-active imagination or something in the water supply.  It’s usually always something in the water supply.

He was almost unwilling to go to sleep that night, persisting till the very last moment, until his eyes could barely remain open.  He closed the assignment he’d been trying to finish and headed to bed, glancing over to check the time before he lay down: 11:29PM.  

He closed his eyes and waited, until he wasn’t conscious of waiting and the dream hit him like a lumberjack.

The clock read 00:59AM when he shot up in bed, the bed sheets wound around him, sodden with sweat, tears running down his cheeks.  He sighed, sniffing loudly, and reached for the packet of tissues which he’d prepared in advance next to his bed.  He wiped his face carefully, trying to block the images of the exact same dream he’d had for the past few weeks.  This time, the ending was slightly longer, enough to make his broken voice yelling Erwin’s name over and over, followed by the repetition of the word ‘No’, always descending in volume till it petered out altogether, drowned by the sound of his uncontrollable weeping.

He put the tissue aside and unwound himself from the sheets, opting to lie down on the floor to calm himself down.  He was five minutes into his uninterrupted stare at the ceiling when his phone buzzed.  He sat up, wincing slightly, and reached for his phone, curling his fingers around the fraying edges of the fancy cover he didn’t particularly like and bringing it closer to his face.  He didn’t even bother to check who the sender was, because only Erwin was close enough to him to be able to send messages in the dead of the night without being blacklisted for the rest of his life.  

 **Blonde Dude: [1:04]**  
Guess who can’t sleep

 **Levi: [1:04]**  
makes both of us then.  im gonna call, i need to ask u smth

Without waiting for a reply, he dialled Erwin’s number, putting his phone on speaker.  

“Levi.”

Erwin’s sleepy voice was hoarser than his usual voice, and Levi had to bite down on his bottom lip to remind himself the purpose of this phone call.

“Yo Er, you sound like shit.”

“You don’t sound too awake yourself, you know.”

“Whatever.  The point of this call was because my insatiable curiosity cannot be leashed.”

“That sounds dangerous.”

“Shut up, I didn’t ask for your opinion, shithead.  I was wondering what you dream about when you get nightmares.  I’m tryna see if it has something to do with stress or if it’s an omen or something.”

“Anything for you, love.”

“I thought I told you to stop calling me that.”

“You like it.”

“I do not.”

“You do.”

“Can you just answer the question already Er?”

“Okay-okay, no need to say it twice.”

As Erwin launched into his answer, Levi became more and more convinced that it was both an omen and something that some idiot threw in the water supply.  Levi was experiencing the exact same dreams, differing slightly in one aspect only - he and Erwin didn’t seem to be together in Erwin’s version of things.  Of course, this could have been an added flair Levi’s unconscious mind had thrown into the mix to spice up the nightmare.

“And I always wake up at that point,” Erwin concluded, yawning loudly as he did so.

“Interesting.”

“What’s interesting?”

“We’ve been having exactly the same dreams.”  If Erwin hadn’t mentioned anything about relationships, neither will he.  

“Oh, that _is_ interesting.  Well, do you think it’s an omen that I’m gonna get eaten by giant naked beasts any time soon?”

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

There was a pause from the other end, as if Erwin was surprised at the worry that had tainted Levi’s usual deadpan voice.  The reply, when it came, was said in a much gentler voice.  “I’ll be super careful, okay?  And anyway, I’ll have you to watch my back.  I trust you.”

Levi didn’t bother to point out that it was his fault for not being fast enough that he kept dying in the dreams.

They ended the call a few minutes later, the conversation having drifted off to what clothes were to be worn for the cliff event to light teasing that left Levi smiling for long after he’d hung up.  

The next day dawned bright and sunny, dashing Levi’s last vain hopes that a violent rainstorm might cancel the whole event.  Apparently, the odds were all massing against him.  He spent the first half of the day dusting his small apartment, allowing the rhythmic routine to soothe his mind and ease his thoughts away from the horrible scenery of his nightmares.  He took out the outfit he’d come up with earlier that morning, laying it on his bed and priding himself on how much black he’d managed to combine in it.

He pondered on whether he should take a bath or simply a quick shower.  He decided on the former, and as he lay there, swirling his fingers in the foamy water, resting his head against the rim of the tub, his thoughts strayed back to Erwin.  And how much he wanted to look at him in the way Dream Levi had looked at Dream Erwin.

He sighed.  As if Erwin, Captain Spaced Out from the town of Oblivion, could ever get any slight hints that Levi might be brave enough to make.  He sighed again, and allowed his body to slide forward, slipping his head beneath the surface.

He kept his eyes open.  He’d always been fascinated by how hair moved when it was underwater.  He let out his breath bit by bit, watching the air bubbles float lazily to the surface.  His lungs burned from lack of oxygen, but he persisted, until he started seeing black dots in the corners of his eyes and he shot out of the water, throwing his head back as he gasped in a huge gulp of air.  He laughed, a genuine sound that burst out of him, catching him unaware and bringing forth a severe bout of hiccups that lasted for quite a while.  He dried his hair, dragging his fingers backwards through it.  He’d left the top layer of his undercut to grow longer, so he was able to gather the edges into a tiny ponytail.  He got dressed in his black skinny jeans and a black button-up shirt with a pattern of white lightning streaks.  His shoes were also black. Levi was quite fond of the colour black.

He sat on his bed and waited for his phone to ring, fretting with the edge of his shirt unconsciously.  He was out of the door before the phone had reached its third ring, finding Erwin leaning against the front gate, his motorcycle humming in the background.

“I love the colours you chose Levi.  They really bring out your eyes.”

“Thanks, I know.  Now let’s get going.”

Erwin swung his foot over the seat, hitting the centre stand and lowering himself on top of it.  He looked at Levi inquiringly, and Levi realised he’d been staring at Erwin’s white ‘New York’ slogan tee a tad too much.  He hurriedly took his place behind Erwin, trying not to grip too tightly to Erwin to try and appear not quite as terrified as he was of motorcycles in general.  Also, the helmet he had been forced to wear ruined his outfit.

They arrived at the spot in record time (scaring Levi was one of Erwin’s Top 5 Ways to Spend Your Day list), and the party was already in full swing.  Erwin walked in front of Levi, who was dragging his feet in reluctance.  On top of all the apprehension, he wasn’t exactly what you might call a sociable person.  He found Erwin laughing with a couple of friends he’d acquired from one of the classes he didn’t share with Levi, and Levi felt an unreasonable stab of jealousy as he looked at the proximity of one of them to Erwin.  He excused himself, walking away from the group to alleviate the feeling.  He didn’t like being jealous - it only sparked unnecessary conflicts and he’d much rather not have any of those, thank you very much.

He hated to admit it, but the atmosphere was fun.  He found himself smiling slightly, bobbing his head to a tune he’d never heard before.  The view around them was stunning, but the sheer drop on to the jagged rocks below made the cliff’s name all the more appropriate.  Levi sat at the edge of the cliff, his feet dangling down, leaning back on his elbows as he stared at the orange sky.  

He closed his eyes, letting the noise and the fresh air pass over him, hearing the nearby sound of water flowing down a brook and the sounds of birds singing in the distance.  This peaceful balance he’d found was shattered instantly by the sudden sound of voices yelling.  He snapped his eyes open, searching through the sea of faces till he found the source of the fight.  To his horror, some guy twice as large as Erwin (an impressive feat) and obviously already very drunk was confronting Erwin.  Levi wondered what sort of shit Erwin had spouted to get that guy mad.  He got to his feet, earning the stares of a few people as he stood nonchalantly at the edge of death.  Literally.

He was wondering whether he should go and help Erwin when things moved very fast and suddenly Giant Angry Drunk Dude was pushing Erwin towards the edge, people flying out of the way or trying to catch hold of Erwin, without getting trampled, in vain.  Levi’s stance stiffened, ready to spring whenever he got the chance, and suddenly, Erwin was at the very edge.

Everyone fell silent.  Someone slipped off quietly, possibly to call the police.  Hanji had moved to the front of the crowd, centimetres away from Giant Angry Drunk Dude who was also currently #1 in Levi’s People I Want To Kill list.  Levi wondered why no one was moving.  Where they all too drunk, too scared, or too uninterested?  Where they scared that a false move could trigger a bad reaction from that guy?  Someone from the crowd yelled, “This has gone too far!  You made your point!  Back off man!”

Apparently, that was the worst thing the person could have ever said to the drunk guy, because he scowled fiercely, and gave the lightest tap to Erwin’s shoulders.  And Erwin teetered over the drop, and began falling backwards.

A lot of things can happen in a few seconds.

Erwin’s eyes met Levi’s, and it was almost as if a burst of electricity flew between them.  Levi knew.  Levi _remembered_.  He _had_ been Captain Levi.  His dreams were _not_ dreams.  He was Erwin’s most trusted advisor.  He had failed him once.  He would not fail him again.

He jumped.

Hanji sprang forward, pulling the drunk guy, who towered over her, into a headlock, using it as leverage to swing her legs up and drive the heels of both her feet straight into the guy’s balls.  She sprang neatly out of the way as he toppled over, his mouth gaping open in a silent scream of pain. She grinned smugly, then remembered Erwin, and twisted round.

Levi was a blur.  He was part of the wind.  He was fast, faster than he’d ever moved in both his lives, and he was suddenly in the vacant spot that had been occupied by the drunk guy 0.1 seconds ago, and he ducked and reached out --

\-- and grabbed hold of Erwin’s hand, hauling him up in a burst of strength that he didn’t know he possessed.  Erwin slammed to the ground heavily, his hand still gripping Levi’s so that he was pulled on top of him.  The air hung heavy as everyone breathed in collectively, and it was suddenly torn apart by a wild roar of sound, cheering and clapping and sighs of relief.

Levi stared down at Erwin, both of them absorbed in each other, hardly noticing the wild rejoicing around them.  “I remember,” he said simply.

Erwin nodded.  “Yeah, me too.”

“Why didn’t you save yourself?  You could have kicked him in the balls like Hanji did.”

“I trusted that you would save me.”

Levi knew there were tears running down his face, seeing them reflected in Erwin’s eyes.  “You fool,” he whispered brokenly.  “I failed you.  I let you die.”

“Never.  You never failed me.”

Levi shook his head, tears falling rapidly down his cheeks and splashing down on Erwin’s face, reminding him of the horrible reality he’d experienced in his other life, except Erwin was dying, dying--

“I never stopped trusting you.  And I never stopped loving you.”

Levi’s already unsteady breath hitched.  “Do you still love me?”

Erwin smiled.  “With every fibre of my being.”

Levi stared down at him, at this miraculous human being, and finally repeated the sentiment that had been left to wait for so long, “I love you, too.”

Levi wasn’t sure who kissed whom first, but suddenly his lips were on Erwin’s, and he was running his tongue along them, tasting the mint drops that Erwin was slightly unhealthily addicted to.  Erwin breathed against his mouth, and Levi took the advantage, sliding his tongue over the chipped tooth, hearing Erwin’s tiny, helpless sounds, fuelling him on.  Erwin’s hands were in Levi’s hair, ravaging his hairstyle, undoing the ponytail and releasing his hair, which flowed down to cover their faces.  Erwin pulled back, Levi going with him, keeping their foreheads linked, both of them breathing heavily, smiling idiotically at each other like the fools in love that they were.

A few claps and wolf-whistles were heard before the situation calmed down around them.  Levi traced Erwin’s delicate cheekbones, Erwin closing his eyes at the gentle touch.  “Guess we’ve passed the greatest test in trust now, haven’t we?”

Levi punched him lightly in the shoulder.  “Shut up.  Don’t ever frighten me like that again, you shithead.”

Erwin pouted.  

Levi punched him again.  “Stop trying to look cuter so that I’d fall for your charms.”

“Aw, love, you think I’m cute?”

“Shall I throw you off the cliff?”

“I _trust_ that you wouldn’t.”

“Oh for _fuck’s sake Erwin-_ ”

He never got to berate Erwin further because Erwin leaned up and captured his lips with his own, and soon they’d disappeared from the party for mysterious reasons.

Later that night, curled up on Levi’s bed, Erwin stroked Levi’s hair gently out of his face, his other arm resting under Levi’s head.  Levi was looking at him, the usual scowl smoothed over and replaced with a smile, his eyes soft.  Erwin was on the verge of sleeping, but the love coursing through his veins was hard to ignore.  He leaned over and placed a kiss on the angle of his jaw, and Levi closed his eyes, moving in closer to Erwin.  Soon after that, Erwin fell asleep, leaving Levi staring at him and not quite believing everything that had just happened.  They’d talked a lot, after tearing off each other’s clothes and proceeding to do things that had only existed in deep unconscious thoughts.  They’d spoken about their past lives, and also their current lives, and how maybe they’d never even stopped being in love, but rather, stopped noticing.  Levi also suddenly remembered how Erwin had almost torn off one of the buttons of his favourite shirt, and he scowled darkly, if only for a second.  He lifted his head and left a kiss on Erwin’s cheek, and said softly, “God, I love you.”

That night, the dreams didn’t return.  The trust that they’d thought had once been broken had been reforged anew, stronger than ever before. 

It became common knowledge that if anyone mentioned the word ‘trust’ to Levi, they would most likely get knocked out.  However, that very same notion was the second strongest bond that united the two men throughout the rest of their lives - right after the love that kept on going after death - a trust that transcended all boundaries, even death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im crying ahahaha
> 
> i mANAGED THO (Ignore the fact that i skipped day 3)
> 
> IM SO HAPPY  
> THANKS TO MY FAB BETA
> 
> IM GOING TO SLEEP NOW WWOOO
> 
> Claire xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> 
> Edit 2/8/17: I may have been,,,,,,a good predictor of events.

**Author's Note:**

> (I know i skipped third august sUE ME)  
> (I WAS WORKING OKAY)  
> (cries)


End file.
